Hitting Things Fixes Things
by Euregatto
Summary: Arc 1: Hassleberry has a dark past, but now that he's Zoe Sheppard's partner that hidden part of him is resurfacing and hurting those closest to him. Can she save him from himself before it's too late? /lots of depression on Tyranno's part
1. Born From the Ashes of Failure

**IMPORTANT: Before you begin**: this story is very loosely based off the Tag Force games. It takes place during the third year, and there are multiple OCs. Rated T for a reason. Reveiw, OK? :D

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><p>"ATTENTION STUDENTS: THE TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT RULES HAVE BEEN SENT OUT. YOU HAVE UNTIL THE END OF TODAY TO SIGN UP WITH YOUR PARTNER SO WE CAN ARRANGE FOR YOU TO MOVE INTO YOUR NEW DORMS."<p>

"No! Nononononono! I have to make it!" He bolted down the empty halls, hurtling over every seven tiles that evenly marked up the floors.

"IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A PARTNER BY THE END OF THE DAY YOU WILL BE ASSIGNED ONE, BUT IF YOU DO NOT HAVE PARTNER AT ALL THEN YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE TAG TEAM TOURNAMENT."

"Come on, come on, just a little more!" His torso thrust him forward despite the cramping in his legs. Once the voice over the loud speaker stopped talking he was screwed.

"I WILL DEAL WITH YOU PERSONALLY IF SUCH AN INCIDENT OCCURS. FOR NOW, I HOPE YOU STUDENTS HAVE A NICE DAY."

"Ah-ha!" He burst into the room, practically breaking the door in. His classmates nearly jumped out of their seats with a start and they turned just to look at him panting like an over-worked dog. "I'm here! I'm sorry I'm late!"

"Tyranno Hassleberry, explain yourself!" Vellian Crowler snapped.

Tyranno wiped the slick sweat from his brow with the back of his hand and sighed, "I apologize; my alarm clock didn't go off this mornin'."

Crowler scoffed, "Well, take your seat!"

Tyranno inclined his head in submission and paced over to his seat behind Jaden. He sat down obediently and fiddled with his pencil as Crowler coughed and began, "First period today will be about counter traps."

From outside in the hall, a young girl had been advancing to class in the opposite direction as Tyranno. She entered briskly, and everyone focused on her. She knew they were staring at her black eye, "Did you get my uncle's message that I was going to be late?"

Crowler nodded, "Yes, now sit down already!"

The girl's name was Zoë Sheppard. She wore her dark brown hair tied back into a braid, and her left bangs were always streaked white. Her eyes were a vague hazelnut color, but this time around her left eye was swelled shut. She either wore a plain gray long-sleeve or a black t-shirt with an I HEART ZOMBIES slogan on the front underneath her black ranger vest to express her love for her Zombie deck, and usually her outfit consisted of jeans that were one size larger so she had to keep them up with a belt, and thin fingerless gloves. Today she wore her gray shirt, which more often than not clashed with her Ra Yellow Bandana that she wore around her neck for reasons unknown to most students.

As she moved to sit down in her seat beside her best friend Nabi Kojima, another student from Ra Yellow, she moved her bangs in front of her face to cover her injury.

Nabi used a fiend and rock deck meant to power up his Evil Hero Dark Gaia. His hair was a lanky bronze and his eyes were almost as dark as black. He was a fair build, and he had appeared on some commercials and one TV show which apparently made him every girl's desire (well, there was one guy in the academy but that's a different story). He always wore a leather jacket over a Yellow Ra T-shirt and a chain belt around his bottom-faded jeans, and for some unknown reason he always wore matching leather gloves no matter how scorching hot it was outside.

Tyranno didn't realize he was the only student still staring at Zoë when Syrus Truesdale poked Hassleberry's side with his elbow, "Checking her out, Hassleberry?"

Hassleberry coughed and turned back to face the board, "Am not. I'm just wonderin' how she got that black eye."

"You and everyone else," Syrus quipped. He waited until Crowler had turned his back before he leaned over to Tyranno, "I heard she got into a fight with some students from the Obelisk Blue Boys Dorm. She gave them a real beat down."

Chazz Princeton, on Tyranno's other side, remarked, "It's true. They said something about her mother and it just set her off—she smacked them around like punching bags."

"Didn't her mom die of cancer or somethin' a few years ago?" Tyranno asked as more of a fact than an actual question.

"Exactly."

"Poor girl," Tyranno uttered and craned his head around to look at her, head recumbent on her fist two rows back on the right side of the room. Zoë cast her gaze his way, but she briskly focused on the board and dismissed his compassionate stare.

"Tyranno, pay attention!" Crowler nailed him in the head with the white board eraser. A handful of the class laughed, much to Tyranno's dismay, and the Dino Obsessive tossed the eraser back to the instructor. "Which reminds me," Crowler jabbed his finger at Tyranno, "I want to see you after class—you, too, Zoë, Nabi, and Aster."

After ten more minutes of boring lectures from Crowler, Tyranno glanced over at Zoë again. When she didn't return the gaze Tyranno gave up and decided on suffering through the rest of the day.

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><p><strong>~ * Hitting Things Fixes Things * ~<strong>

**Chapter 1: Born from the Ashes of Failure**

After Crowler dismissed them for lunch Tyranno was practically the first one out the door, storming to the backgrounds where he sat down in his usual spot at a large metal-woven table beneath a peach tree and waited patiently for his friends to show up.

Zoë happened to strode past with Nabi at her side as usual, and Tyranno watched with fascination as they sat at a small table situated beside a grove of raspberry bushes. They instantly pulled out their decks and started playing. "Hey, Lover Boy!"

Tyranno exhaled a lengthy sigh, "'Sup, Syrus?"

Syrus and Jaden got comfortable across from Hassleberry. "What's wrong with you?" Jaden questioned and practically tore open his paper bagged lunch. He exchanged an egg salad sandwich for Syrus's chocolate bar.

"Nothin'," Tyranno fiddled with a peach that had fallen out off a branch and onto their table. It was still good so he took a bite, but spit it out after realizing it wasn't ripe, "I don't have a partner for the tournament."

"That sucks," Jaden remarked and gnawed away at the solid bricks of chocolate large enough to put Willy Wonka's candy bars to shame, "I heard Aster doesn't have a partner."

"I already asked him… he doesn't even _want_ to be in the tournament," Tyranno tossed the peach into the bushes nearby, hoping some random animal would find it appealing, "I'm about to ask Jim Cook if he wants to be my partner, and you know how much that crocodile—alligator… _thing_ freaks me out! I don't feel like livin' with a reptile just waitin' for the right moment to take a nice bite out of me."

"Jim has a partner anyway," Jaden informed him.

"I don't know if that's a good or bad thing at this point," Tyranno cast a glare at Syrus, "and why in Sam Hill are you smirkin'?"

Syrus's grin grew wider, "I find it amusing how you responded when I addressed you as Lover Boy."

"Shut it before I feed you to my Ultimate Tyranno!"

"Well, then explain why you keep eyeing Zoë over there," Syrus nodded his head to the girl who laughed at Nabi's joke, spoken too quietly for them to actually hear. Tyranno didn't bother to turn and look for once.

"She has a flippin' black eye, Syrus, I feel bad for her."

"I'll give you my bag of cherries if you talk to her," Syrus lifted a sealed bag of stem-less red fruits.

Tyranno gave Syrus his usual Tyranno stare—caught between unimpressed and unsure, "I don't like cherries."

"Neither do I, why do you think I'm trying to get rid of them?"

"I like cherries."

"Your stomach's a black hole, Jaden. You like anything eatable." Syrus looked at Tyranno quizzically, "OK, how about a Twinkie?"

"No."

"Two Twinkies?"

"…"

"Two Twinkies and…" Syrus fell short of the mark. Jaden whispered something in his ear and he spoke up again, "a Butterfinger."

Tyranno seemed displeased, "I don't like Butterfingers, either."

"What do you like then?"

"I'm not gonna tell you! You're just gonna bribe me with it," Tyranno stood abruptly, "The two Twinkies will do just fine." He turned on his heel, gathered his wits and puffed out his chest. He stalked stiffly over to Nabi and Zoë where they were dueling, but clearly neither of them were keeping track of the points. "H-Hello."

They glanced up at him. "What's up, Hassleberry?" Nabi greeted him, but Zoë glanced down at the three cards in her hand: two monsters and one spell. She played Goblin Zombie in attack mode and activated the spell Gravekeeper's Servant.

"Well… I was wonderin'…"

"If you want to know how I got this black eye then go ask someone else," Zoë hissed, "Besides it's none of your business."

"I wasn't gonna ask that," Tyranno said quickly and wafted his hand like a fish out of water, "I was just wonderin'… do you perhaps… uhm…"

"No, I don't have a boyfriend, and I'm not free this Saturday. You're not my type." She attacked Nabi's face down with her Shadow Ghoul but he activated Sakuretsu Armor and destroyed it.

Tyranno's world froze over just like the ice age and his face was drained of color. "That's not it either!" Tyranno inhaled sharply, but the cold air around his inner sanctum lingered. "I know this is weird, but do you know anyone who doesn't have a partner for the tournament?"

The corner of Zoë's mouth crept into a smile, "Well, in that case… I'm sorry but I don't."

"Oh, OK… how 'bout you, Nabi? Know anyone who's willin' to be my partner?"

"Nope," Nabi shrugged, "Everyone I know of is taken already. Sorry man, guess you're going to have to put up with the Chancellor sticking you with other single duelists… like that Ryan kid. He doesn't have a partner, but who would team up with him?"

"True," Tyranno didn't want to admit he had actually considered Ryan on one occasion for the sake of actually getting a partner… but Ryan was the worst duelist on the face of the planet. He used a deck that consisted of cute fluffy things that were never able to get above 1500 attack. "Thanks for your time."

He returned to his table to find Syrus and Jaden rolling around the ground laughing their asses off.

* * *

><p>"Why did you want us?" Nabi questioned when the four students were left behind with Crowler. They stood before his desk as he reclined with his feet crossed over on the desktop.<p>

"It has come to my attention that you four don't have duel partners," Crowler remarked, "Nabi and Zoë, you two were partnered with each other but unfortunately after yesterday's… _incident_, Zoë, your father has made sure that as minor punishment you be paired with a different student."

Zoë slammed her fists down on the desk, "WHAT?" and Crowler nearly fell out of his seat, "That bastard did that? I was only defending myself-!" Nabi pat her back and she settled; a scowl ripped open her face.

Crowler cleared his throat and sat upright in his chair, "Anyway, he left it on my shoulders to partner you up with any unoccupied duelists… Hassleberry and Aster were the only ones in this class without partners."

Aster frowned, "Well, I wasn't very interested in the tournament, sir…"

"Does it look like I care?" Crowler seethed and Aster fell silent, "I decided I would make this tournament… interesting. Hassleberry, dinosaurs and zombies aren't the best combination, so I expect you two to work past differences… or am I wrong?"

"I like dinosaurs," Zoë admitted, "but I don't like working _with_ them."

"Now you have no choice," Crowler smirked gamely, "Heroes and Fiends—Aster and Nabi. Yes, that'll definitely end in failure… I will sign you all up, and tomorrow expect to be moved to your new dorms."

Tyranno turned to Zoë and offered out his hand, "So, guess we're partners now, huh?" She ignored his gesture and stormed out of the classroom. "There's one way to reject someone," Tyranno muttered under his breath.

Nabi bid farewell to his new partner and Aster strode out carelessly, and then he faced Tyranno, "Sorry about her, Hass, she's not usually like that. After yesterday she's been emotionally imbalanced. Don't worry; she'll warm up to you."

"I guess that's reassurin'," Tyranno scratched the back of his head, "Let's just hope she isn't still pissed off by the time we move in together."

"Knowing your luck she'll threaten to bring down the roof," Nabi slapped his shoulder and walked off, "So, best of luck to ya, Hassleberry!"

* * *

><p>The sun was melting butter over the horizon by the time Tyranno had finished moving everything from his room to his new dorm, which was now (to his disliking) situated in Ra Yellow instead of Slifer Red.<p>

Zoë hadn't shown up yet, so he decided to take the left bed as his own and splayed out upon it leisurely. Two dressers, one he took over, and one desk (he had already set up his Black Stego themed alarm clock on it) were on either side of the room. He had hung up some of his clothes in the double-door closet, pushed over to the left side. A few boxes were stacked up on the shelf above, also filed on the left. He had hooked his TV up to the top of his own dresser beside his duel disk and deck to make room for the small fridge he had already occupied with sandwiches and bottles of water.

Between the beds against the wall was a book case, but it was bare except for a snow globe he had gotten for his birthday from his mother years ago, a handful of comic books, two pocket guides, and one novel about fossils. A window had been positioned above the right bed, the thick plaid curtains tied back by matching ribbons.

The room was undeniably more spacious than the Red dorms.

"Thanks, Jaden. You didn't have to do that…"

"No problem! I gotta go, but tell the Serge I said hi!"

"Yeah, and tell Chazz I say thanks when you see him again."

He heard footsteps nearing the room from outside, and knowing that Zoë had finally arrived he sat up intently, legs swinging off the edge of the bed and just barely scraping against the hard-wood floor.

Zoë entered with a shoulder bag and a large roller suit case meant for traveling purposes, and she kicked the door closed with her foot. He grinned at her, "Aren't you happy today?"

She snorted, "I'm just a ray of freaking sunshine, aren't I? Those damn thugs from Obelisk Blue tried confronting me again but Chazz and Jaden showed them whose boss," She glanced around, "Oh, I see you've set up already."

"Yeah," Tyranno laid down again, "I left you everything on the right side of the room—don't mind my alarm clock by the way—and the entire right side of the closet is yours."

"At least you're considerate," She remarked, "After everything I've heard about you I figured you would've taken over and left me outside in the rain."

"Of course not—wait, what'd you hear about me?" Tyranno shot up, shooting her a quizzical look, "Is Chazz making up stupid stories again?"

"No, all I heard were just rumors," Zoë replied and placed her shoulder bag on the second bunk, "About you stealing duel disks from other people, running a gang, fun stuff like that."

Tyranno crossed his arms over his chest like an X, "Well, I don't do that anymore! I can't believe those things are still wanderin' around, especially since that was months ago! You're in my class, Zoë; do you really think I still do that?"

"Nope," She responded, "I was just messing with you. I have a sarcastic sense of humor, don't mind me… I'm just glad you're honest."

Tyranno blushed. He hadn't received a compliment in quite a while, and the simple mention of something positive made him light-headed. "If you say so…"

Zoë chuckled, "Exactly. I'll finish unpacking later—get your deck, Dino Boy; we're finding some saps to duel." Tyranno tilted his head at her. "I wanna test out our teamwork. I'm not used to dueling as a tag team without Nabi."

"I'm easy to work with." Tyranno picked up his duel disk and deck from the top of his dresser.

Zoë opened her shoulder bag and pulled out her duel disk and deck. She filed her cards into her deck box on her belt and slid her disk onto her right arm, "I need to go to the store, are you gonna come with?"

"Sure…"

"I also need to see Val and Bruce."

Tyranno tapped his chin, and quirked an eyebrow in thought, "Oh, yeah! Doesn't Val sit in front you, y'know next to Brodie? Aren't they from Obelisk Blue?"

"Ra Yellow," Zoë coerced and started for the door, "Anyway, I haven't decided if I like your style or not yet."

"Hardly fair," Tyranno whined, "We're destined for victory, obviously. My brute force and your counter traps will make the perfect combination!" He was never able to say _combination _without talking like he was sounding out every syllable. Usually he shortened it to _combo_ or just didn't use it at all.

Zoë didn't seem to notice—or just not care—and she slapped his chest, "I use all of one counter trap, but that a boy! I like your enthusiasm! Let's go before they leave. Oh, and Jaden told me to tell you that he said hi." She frowned, "Say that five times fast."

They walked out just in time to see Nabi fleeing from a hoard of fan girls.

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><p>Aster was supposed to be unpacking in a dorm situated in Obelisk Blue, but he had gotten bored half way through organizing while waiting for Nabi to show and ended up trekking over to the Red Dorms.<p>

Now he watched as Syrus, teamed up with Blair, and Jesse, teamed up with Jaden (which was surprising because the last time there was a tag team tournament Jaden teamed with Syrus), dueled out in the Courtyard in front of the Slifer Red dorms. "I wonder where Nabi went," He said to no one in particular.

"Hey, Aster!" A faint voice cried out.

"Speak of the devil." He watched as Nabi appeared nearby, waving and running for him. Suddenly the ground began to shake beneath his feet, and there was a distant rumble that grew louder and louder and LOUDER until it turned into a rampage of screaming and squealing.

"Run!" Nabi exclaimed as he passed by his partner. Aster blinked momentarily, and then he knew why Nabi was fleeing when a demolition of people from each dorm came stampeding in his direction.

"Fan girls…" He hissed, and then turned on his heel and high-tailed after Nabi. He knew how famous Nabi was, yet he wasn't very fond of him. Admittedly he did like the one show Nabi starred in, but he didn't think so many other girls would be drooling over the boy after he decided to give up his acting career for the academy.

Next time Aster would save himself the trouble and accept Tyranno's offer of being partners in a tournament.


	2. Out Stealing Fire

**Oc's I own: Zoe, Nabi, Val, Bruce, Michelle, Justin, Aaron. (More to come as the chapters progress). Please review and get a Hassleberry plushie! :D**

**Chapter 2: Out Stealing Fire**

"Val?" Zoë found the girl sitting on the brick wall that outlined the garden around the Ra Yellow Dorms. Her hair was dark and shoulder length, her bangs kept back by a single purple hair clip. She wore ripped-at-one-knee jeans that matched with her Blink-182 T-shirt and Ra Yellow jacket.

Val had her face practically glued to the pages of her book, _The Perks of Being a Wallflower_.

"Valerie Mae?" Zoë repeated.

She finally looked up, chocolate brown pools glazed over with irritation. "Can't you see I'm reading the greatest book to have ever been written in the literary world of extreme awesomeness?"

Tyranno tilted his head, "I thought Twilight was the greatest book ever?"

Zoë quirked an eyebrow, "Says who?"

"Blair."

"We really need to get you familiar with the real world…" Zoë leaned against the wall and peered over Val's shoulder, "Oh, my father shipped that box you wanted—there was a problem with back order but the package should arrive in the next few days. He just wanted me to make sure you knew."

Val slid a piece of paper into the pages of her book and slammed it shut, "Thanks." She whistled sharply and Tyranno yelped and covered his ears. "Porky, come here boy!" Cream-colored ears poked up above the roses and the stout head of a Corgi followed suit. He barked and jumped out into Val's arms.

Tyranno slapped his ear with his palm, testing his hearing, "Hey that reminds me! Do either of you ladies have a Black Veloci?"

"Black Veloci?" The girls retorted at the same time. Val shook her head, "I certainly don't."

"Me neither," Zoë said.

They intently watched as Nabi raced past them, Aster at his side and fan girls (and fan boy) not too far behind. "Hi guys, bye guys!" Nabi exclaimed and they disappeared around the corner. Zoë waved slightly and the roaring crowd passed by like a stampede, but then they were gone too. Jesse jogged after several moments later, "Wait for me!" he paused to catch his breath, "Oh, hi guys!" but then he raced off.

"Anyway," Tyranno started slowly, pretending what he just saw was an every day occurrence (which it was for Zoë and Nabi), "I figured the Black Veloci would be a big help with my deck. I've been tryin' to edit this deck to perfection for a while, actually…"

"A deck edit you say? This looks like a job for Bruce Willis!"

Zoë glanced at the posing duelist at the top of the steps. It was Bruce, a Ra Yellow often mocked/adored for the size of his afro and the association of his name with a famous actor. His unusual pilot outfit was yellow, and he wore matching goggles that were virtually hidden in his hair. He more commonly used a beast themed deck in his duels, and his duel disk was colored light blue.

"Don't worry," Bruce exclaimed with a fist pump to the air, "I will—WAH!" He tripped down the steps and face-planted the dirt.

Val sighed, "Meet my partner. Anyone wanna trade?"

"Tempting," Zoë said and received a scowl from Tyranno, "but I'll pass. I'd prefer to work with someone who's able to nod without tipping over. Then again, Hassleberry's head is so swelled I'm surprised that doesn't happen anyway." His pupils narrowed into slits. She looked at him and grinned in a mocking triumph.

Bruce sprang to his feet and spat mud out of his mouth, "I heard someone needed dueling advice!"

"There is no way in Sam Hill we're gettin' duelin' advice from you," Tyranno seethed, folding his arms stubbornly against his chest.

"But on the contrary," Bruce bowed and approached them with a stiff back, "I am not only a specialist, but I am also a professional deck constructor."

"Bull shit," Tyranno retorted.

"No, really," Bruce reached into his pocket and flipped out his wallet—connected to a chain linked to his belt—and searched through it. He flipped out his ID card and handed it to Zoë. She skimmed it with Tyranno over her shoulder. **Professional Deck Constructor Bruce Willis. This card hereby nominates you in Domino City's middle class of Deck constructors. **Zoë quickly handed the card back to him.

Val scoffed, "I know, I didn't believe at first myself."

Bruce rolled his eyes, "So, how may I be of service?"

Tyranno leaned towards Zoë and whispered, "Middle class—I'm gonna assume that's why he's stuck in Ra. He couldn't build a deck good enough to move him up in the ranks." Zoë nodded in oblivious agreement.

"I'm right here you know," Bruce growled.

Zoë arched an eyebrow at him like he was two steps away from being admitted to a psych ward, "Your point?"

"I'm lookin' for a Dinosaur card," Tyranno mentioned, "Black Veloci. I've asked around but no one has it… Do you happen to have one?"

"Hmm…" Bruce tapped his chin, "I used to have one but my dog ate it. It's not that hard to obtain but since I never had any use for it I guess I never bothered to get a new one." He shrugged, "Sorry about that."

Tyranno sighed, "It's alright. I'll figure somethin' out…"

"You might want to try Aaron," Bruce suggested, "He's the card dealer around these parts."

"Aaron?" Tyranno echoed.

"He's a good friend of ours," Zoë stated, "His older sister works for a card printing factory—he gets free cards through his sis and sells the doubles to duelists who need them."

"There goes the stock market," Val muttered and jumped down from the wall, letting Porky down so he could waddle over to Zoë and nuzzle against her leg. She bent down and pat his head in turn. "I actually haven't seen him in a while. He hasn't come to lunch with us in a few days." Usually—more often than not—Val, Bruce, Aaron, Nabi, and Zoë would all hang out at lunch, but recently Aaron hadn't been showing up so it was just the four of them.

"Oh, and before I forget!" Zoë activated her duel disk, "Val; Bruce, I challenge you to a last minute duel!"

"For no apparent reason?" Bruce inquired.

"Nah," Tyranno responded, "We have to test out our teamwork since we've never dueled together before."

Bruce shrugged to Val, and she wagged her head, "Sure, why not?" She and Bruce activated their duel disks and Porky barked, his stubby tail wagging like a seizure-inflicted twitch. Val was Zoë's roommate before the tag-team, and they had become fast and close friends ever since they first moved in together after being promoted to Yellow two years ago.

Tyranno wondered if he could be friends with Zoë that easily.

"Can we go first?" Zoë asked aloud after shuffling her deck and placing it back into her duel disk. Val and Bruce shrugged to each other.

"Sure," Val replied, drawing five cards.

"Awesome," Tyranno drew from his deck, "Lieutenant, do you want to take the lead?"

"Nope," She smirked, but then realized her new nickname, "Lieutenant? Forget it, you can go first."

He sighed and drew a sixth card, briefly observing his hand. "OK, I'll start with a special summon—Gilasaurus, front and center!" The dinosaur materialized and hissed, prepared for anything the duel had to throw at him. "I tribute Gilasaurus to summon Dark Driceratops!" The monster was replaced with something just as large, but with a higher attack of 2400. "I set two cards," The face-down cards materialized on the field behind the dinosaur, "And from my hand I play my field spell—Jurassic World!" Around them trees and bushes sprouted up, vines entwined. A small mountain rose up nearby—a volcano. Dark Driceratops jumped up to the top of it, his attack increasing to 2700. "I end my turn."

"Not bad," Bruce stated, "My turn!" He drew and examined his cards, "I set a card, and I summon Berserk Gorilla in attack mode! I'm going to activate my field spell—Gaia Power!"

The landscape shifted and disappeared. Dark Driceratops flapped back over to Tyranno as the volcano sunk into the ground. Off to the side a massive tree grew up and shaded the field, increasing both monsters' on the field attacks by 500 points.

"My monster's still stronger," Tyranno mentioned smugly.

"Not for long. I activate Shrink, cutting your monster's attack in half!" Dark Driceratops's attack was decreased from 2900 to 1450. "Now, attack his monster, Berserk Gorilla!" Bruce's beast bite down on the dinosaur's throat and he shattered. "Now I'll set a card and end my turn."

Tyranno Life Points: 4000 - 2950

Zoë drew, "Well then. I start with Lightning Vortex! I'll send my Zombie Master to the graveyard to destroy your Gorilla!" A streak of lightning dropped down and destroyed Bruce's monster, "and then I'll summon my Malevolent Mech – Goku En in attack mode!"

Bruce frowned, "You do realize you don't have another Zombie on the field, right?"

"Don't remind me," She picked a card out of her hand and showed it to him, "That's why I'm using Book of Life to remove your Gorilla from play so I can special summon my Zombie Master from the graveyard!"

The second monster materialized on the field beside Zoë's dragon-like zombie, "Take it, Bruce! I attack directly with both of my monsters!"

"And I'll activate my trap—Mirror Force!"

Zoë's expression dropped, "Oh, you suck!" the barrier forced her monsters backed and obliterated them. She sighed, "Fine. I'll play Call of the Mummy to special summon my Gernia in attack mode. I'll end my turn."

Val drew, "Awesome, my turn! I'll start with Sword of Revealing Light to prevent your monsters from attacking for three turns, and then I'll activate Scape Goat to summon two tokens to the field in defense position! That ends my turn."

Tyranno grinned, "Alright, I go!" He drew, "I'll special summon Gilasaurus to the field, and then I'll sacrifice him to use the effect of Big Evolution Pill! Front and center, go Frostosaurus!" The massive dinosaur cloaked in ice rose up and roared, her chilling breath nearly wilting the tree. "I'll end my turn."

Eric drew, "OK, I'll summon my Girochin Kuwagata in attack mode. Destroy her Gernia!"

A swift attack knocked Gernia into Zoë, slamming them both to the ground. Gernia shattered and Zoë sat up with a start, "Ow! That hurts y'know!"

Zoë Life Points: 2950 - 2550

"I'll end my turn."

"Good!" Zoë snapped and stood, brushing dirt off her pants. She drew a card, "I'll set this monster. Your turn, Val."

"OK." Val drew, "I pay 1000 life points to summon Toon World! I also sacrifice both my Lamb Tokens to summon my Blue Eyes Toon Dragon!" A large book materialized over head, the pages flipping open until a castle sprouted up towards the sky. From it Blue Eyes emerged, grinning broadly.

Val Life points: 4000 - 3000

"And now I equip him with Meteor Shot!" Val smirked as she set down her spell, "When my monster attacks a defense position monster the difference will come out of your life points!"

"That's not enough to wipe out my life points!" Zoë shot back.

"Nope, but that's why I have this," Val activated a spell card from her hand, "I'm not aiming for your Vampire Lady; I'm aiming for your face-down!"

"Please tell me your face-down has a good defense!" Tyranno coerced.

Zoë twitched, "It's my Dragon Zombie. His defense is zero."

Val laughed, "Calm down, I was only joking! Blue Eyes can't attack the turn he's summoned!" The cartoon dragon giggled and flapped around Val.

"Was your face down seriously Dragon Zombie?" Tyranno questioned as he drew a card. Zoë was silent. "Fine. I set a monster, flip summon Zoë's face down, and end my turn."

Bruce drew, "You're going to hate me after this. I play my spell card Earthquake to switch your Dragon Zombie to defense mode, and then I'll attack with Blue Eyes!"

"We're screwed," Zoë uttered.

Blue Eyes Toon Dragon destroyed Dragon Zombie with a blast of blue fire, obliterating the rest of their life points. Bruce laughed as the field faded, "I win! Take that!"

Tyranno growled under his breath, "Well, that was…" He noticed the scowl on Zoë's face in his direction and decided not to speak again for the rest of the evening.

* * *

><p><em>There's something catching his attention. It's not the skyscrapers that block the sun from the sky, nor the people plaguing the streets. It's not the colorful decorations lining every lamppost, nor the mannequins in the windows, dressed accordingly and beckoning strangers to take a long, breathless gaze.<em>

_No, he's only interested in the window. That one across the street, there, with the… What is in there? Why can't he see it?_

_He watches as a boy, only four years old and accompanied by his mother, starts towards it—his eyes are aglow with astonishment._

_He calls out, "No, don't go!" Something bad is going to happen—something very. Very bad! "Stop, wait!"_

_His hand reaches out, but it phases through the child's shoulder like a ghost. The boy continues on, unaware that he is crossing a street—a dangerous one._

_The mother realizes the boy is no longer beside her, but when she looks around for him—calling out frantically—she notices he is already trekking the road. She cries out and he freezes, turns to her, waves. She runs for him._

_He needs to stop her! He chases her, but his fingers continue to pass through her arm. "No, you're gonna—!"_

_A horn blares just as the mother is about to reach her son. There's not enough time! She jumps and pushes the boy out of the way._

_"NO!"_

_There's a loud screeching, the sound of splattering blood and shattering glass pierces the air and burning rubber fills his nose. He's too late! Why couldn't he stop her?_

_The boy's crying. The mother is lifeless._

_Why couldn't he stop them? Huh, a voice? "Hassleberry?"_

_"Zoë!" He cries out. Is she there? Please, help, he can't be here any more! This is just a dream this is just a dream blood is everywhere people are screaming the boy is crying all because he couldn't stop them… this is just a dream! "Zoë! Wake me up! Wake me up!"_

_"Hassleberry!"_

_"**WAKE ME UP**!"_

* * *

><p>That night was awkward, especially since Zoë couldn't stop staring at that dinosaur alarm clock. Tyranno was fast asleep, or so she thought since his back was turned to her, and it took longer for the minutes to change than for the clouds to pass the moon outside the window—and there were no clouds, unless Adrian Gecko decided to mess with his cards at two in the morning.<p>

Tyranno muttered something and rolled over. Zoë ignored him briefly, but then he uttered a bit louder this time, "Stop, wait…"

She figured he was having a nightmare and sat up, swung her legs over the bed, and strode over to him. It would be a good thing to wake him up, wouldn't it, spare him the agony?

"NO!" He whined, tossing over onto his back.

"Hassleberry?"

"Zoë?" He called out. Suddenly he started to panic. "Zoë! Wake me up! Wake me up!"

"Hassleberry!" She shook his chest, but he only screamed.

"WAKE ME UP!" He sat upright with a start, but she brought his head to her chest and his cries died down instantly. "Wake me up… Wake me up… I couldn't stop them, I couldn't stop them…!"

"Ssh," She whispered, "Ssh, it's alright. It's just a dream, Tyranno. It's just a dream…" He choked on a lump in his throat, but he swallowed and breathed rigidly until his inhales were even with his exhales and he calmed. "Just a nightmare…"

He pushed away from her and buried his face in his hands, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up…"

"I wasn't sleeping," she admitted, "You alright?"

He looked up at her, his pupils narrowed into reptile-like slits, "I'm fine… Go to sleep, I'll be OK."

"You wanna talk about it?"

He blinked and his pupils retracted to normal, "No, not right now… maybe later. Just go to sleep or we won't be able to get up for roll call in the mornin'."

She strode back to her bed, "I used to have nightmares you know—and I mean A LOT of nightmares. Usually three times a week." She slid under her blanket and yawned, "I talked about them to my friends… and the more I talked the less I had. Eventually they just went away…" She rolled over to face the wall, "but that's just me. Good night."

When the morning came, Tyranno was too sick to get up.

* * *

><p>Zoë bumped into Nabi outside of the classroom. He was hiding behind Aster behind a giant tropical plant that was positioned randomly against a wall between the two entrances. "What are you guys doing?" She questioned with a slight hint of curiosity in her tone.<p>

"Sush!" Nabi grabbed her and brought her back with them just as two Ra Yellow girls entered the room, chatting about shades of pink nail polish. "We can't be spotted by fan girls!"

"Or that fan boy!" Aster added.

"I'll just play along so I don't get confused," She lowered her voice to a whisper, "What makes you think hiding behind a plant is gonna do any good?"

"It's worked so far," Aster replied matter-of-factly.

"You're doomed if this is the best place you can find to hide," Zoë remarked despondently.

Three girls appeared—two from Obelisk Blue and one from Slifer Red. The Red giggled, "Isn't Nabi just so cute?"

"He's even cuter in person than on camera!" The first Blue agreed.

The second Blue squealed, "He's so dreamy~! I want to marry him!"

"Screw that!" The Red snapped, and then she rested her chin in her hand, "I want to have his kids!" The other girls swooned over her comment and they disappeared into the classroom. Nabi and Zoë were silent as they twitched.

Aster exhaled a sigh of irritation, "Makes me wonder what your fan boy tells his friends…"

"Probably not much."

"Nabi, this is Jesse we're talking about."

"Point taken."

Zoë rolled her eyes skyward and stormed into the classroom, flinching when a girl exclaimed about spotting them hiding behind the illogically located plant. Nabi and Aster blew by her and dove into their seats—Aster sitting on Nabi's other side towards the wall—and the fan girls gave up when Zoë sat down calmly and shot them a threatening glare.

Aster shot up and dusted off his suit before sitting properly. Half of Nabi's head poked up, his eyes darted around to make sure everything was clear, and he quickly sat down in his seat when he was assured Zoë's death gaze had scared the girls off.

Val sat in front of Nabi, but she was skimming through her _Twilight _novel. Her eyebrow twitched, and she slammed the book closed and handed it left to Axel Brodie, seated in front of Zoë. He gave her a funny look. "Burn this when you get a chance," She demanded.

Jaden slapped Zoë on the shoulder and she glanced up at him.

"Hiya, Zo!" He greeted, but the corners of her mouth crawled into a frown, "Hassleberry was supposed to meet us but he didn't show up. Do you know where he went?"

Axel gasped and whirled around, "Zoë, my word! Did you kill him already? That was quick!"

Zoë flipped him off and shot back, "I'm waiting until tomorrow!" They laughed it off but Jaden wondered what was so funny, "Anyway, he's sick. He was running a bit of a fever so I told him he should just sleep it off today."

Jaden's expression dropped, "Aw man, really? He's such a kill joy! Syrus and I were supposed to go to the store today and Hassleberry wanted to come along! Fine, guess it's just the two of us…" He practically stomped off to join his friends.

Crowler appeared at doorway and exclaimed, "I have an exciting announcement to make!" The thought of something interesting actually happening in this class quelled the duelists and they turned in their chairs to listen intently. Crowler laughed with triumph and marched over to his desk, slammed his massive book down on the polished surface, and faced them. "The tournament is going to turn into a movie!"

"WHAT?" The class retorted in chorus, taken aback.

Crowler smirked even broader, "Yes, that's right! A camera crew is going to film the up coming tournament matches and edit everything into a movie! Some interviews may be involved, but no matter what I want everyone to duel their best!"

"That sounds fun," Jaden stated. There were monotone agreements from around the room.

Jesse chuckled, "There goes the sliver of sanity I have left."

"You were sane once?" Chazz retorted and Jesse ignored him.

"Are you camera shy?" Jaden asked, scratching his pen on a crinkled sheet of paper to get his ink working again.

Jesse groaned and muffled his face in his hands, "Like you would _not _believe! It's just a phobia I've had since I was kid—I've always been afraid of embarrassin' myself and because it was caught on tape I'd never live it down!" He buried shame into his arms and sobbed dryly.

Syrus scratched the back of his head, "If it makes you feel any better I used to be camera shy… Now I just don't like standing up in front of enormous crowds."

Jesse sat up, "How'd you get over your fear?"

"I just kinda grew out of it, I guess. Maybe you should ask Nabi," Syrus pointed to the Ra playing Tick-Tack-Toe with Zoë while Aster went on and on about recipes to making the perfect Carrot Cake, "He's the one in front of the camera all the time."

"Brilliant idea!" Jesse complimented, "I'll just ask my childhood idol who I've been stalkin' around with a group of fan girls since day one when I first arrived here if I can have tips on how not to have a nervous breakdown on television! Maybe I'll also ask him for an autograph and possibly even some hair stylin' advice!"

Syrus shrunk down in his seat, "Sorry for trying to help Mr. Sarcasm Galore!"

Crowler cleared his throat, "Can I have your attention again, class?" Everyone fell quiet. "Good. Now, we're going to continue our lesson on counter traps and then we're going to the duel field for some practice duels—what to do when you're trapped with 7500 less life points than your opponent."

Axel snorted, "I'd be the one with the 7500 more." Zoë crumpled a piece of paper in a ball and hit him square in the back of the head with it, but when he turned to give her a glare she whistled an offbeat tune and avoided making eye contact by staring at the ceiling.

"What do you think of the movie idea?" Zoë asked Nabi when Axel had finally turned back around.

He shrugged, "I dunno. Sounds cool, but that'd be a long movie—having to film all those duels."

"Ever heard of editing?" Val remarked sarcastically. Nabi flashed his tongue at her. "Y'know, I kind of think that this whole camera thing is half-assed."

"Like Chazz half-assed?" Zoë commented.

"I think it'll be awesome!" Axel exasperated, but then he chirped, "especially since I'm gonna wipe the floor with everyone's face! Even better—it'll be caught on film for all to see!"

"Suck my grits!" Zoë snapped, "I kicked your ass just last week!" Axel countered with his middle finger. "Isn't your partner Aaron, anyway?"

Axel scoffed, "I got stuck with him. No one wanted to work with me apparently—but Aaron's a cool dude, so I'm not complaining."

That was when two people busted in, one guy carrying a large camera on his shoulder and a woman with a clipboard and microphone. "Excuse us," The woman said, "I'm Michelle and this is Justin. We're recording the film for the tournament. Are you Professor Crowler?"

"I am," Crowler confirmed with a grin splitting open his face, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"We heard you were going to do practice duels today on the duel field so we figured a quick test with that would help jump-start us for the tournament. Mind if we join your class for a session?"

"I don't mind. Does anyone have a problem with that? …Only one person? Jesse Anderson, put your hand down and get out from the under the desk!"

* * *

><p>Crowler coached Axel and Bastion while the camera guy recorded and the rest of the class watched. Axel had on the field Volcanic Doomfire, and Bastion was wide open. Michelle frowned and she and Justin turned on cue to Jaden beside them, "You, duelist, what's your name?" She asked and shoved the microphone in his face, subsequently demanding that he respond.<p>

Jaden smiled, "I'm Jaden Yuki!"

"So, Jaden," She passed the microphone to her lips, "I've never dueled before with these duel disks you use. Mind telling me a bit about them?" She held the mic up to his mouth to enhance his voice.

"It's fun," He replied, "you just use monsters and spells and traps to activate different effects to defend your life points and deplete your opponents life points—the duel disks just make everything real. The monsters are projections."

"Is that safe?"

Jaden laughed, "Of course! It hurts but after a couple of direct hits you get used to it so it's normal…"

"**Direct Attack, Volcanic Doomfire use Volcanic Canon**!" The background behind Jaden seemed to glow briefly, and then Bastion screamed as he was nailed with a meteor made from fire and charcoal.

"…but that doesn't always go for all attacks. Some hurt more than others. Depends on the monster." Bastion stood up in the background, smoke rising from his battered body. "I mean, if you got bit by Ultimate Tyranno it would hurt a whole lot," Bastion toppled over. "and it would hurt WAY more than getting slapped by Dark Rabbit," Jaden faced the field, "Oh, did Bastion loose already? Anyway, I've taken a couple of hits already. It does sting a bit; rest assured the effect wears off in a few minutes…"

Alexis checked Bastion's pulse. "He's not breathing!"

"…but like I said, it depends on the monster." Michelle's jaw threatened to fall off and the camera shook in Justin's grip. Jaden stared at them quizzically, "Would you guys like to try it? I'll lend you my duel disk." Fonda Fontaine raced in and kneeled down beside Bastion. The class had formed a ring around them by now, watching intently.

"I… I think we're good," Michelle said breathlessly.

Jaden shrugged, "OK, but let me know when you want to get your game on! You guys seem fun!" He turned to the girl closest to him, "Hey, Zoë, what happened to Bastion?" She slapped her hand over her face. "And why's Jesse in the corner sucking his thumb?"

* * *

><p>"Hassleberry?" Zoë opened the door quietly and closed it just as swiftly, "Hey, I got you something to eat. Are you alright?" Tyranno was still lying down, but the water bottle she left beside the bed for him had barely any water in it. She dropped the bag on her desk and picked up the empty plastic, replacing it with a new one she retrieved from the fridge. "Ty, sit up and drink some water." He moaned a protest, burying his face into the pillow. She touched the back of his neck, "Mm, you're still a bit warm, but you should be fine tomorrow." She slapped his shoulder, "Come on, up and at 'em! Roll call was at dawn, soldier!"<p>

Finally he forced himself to sit and face her, rubbing at his weary eyes, "Ugh, I practically slept like a log today. You just had to ruin the moment, didn't you?"

Zoë shrugged and handed him the uncapped bottle. He accepted it and she stalked over to the bag, "I stopped at the store with Val and you got you something to eat. You missed it, though, Hassleberry! The camera crew showed up today to film one of classes as a practice, right? So Crowler pit Bastion against Axel, and Axel's Volcanic Doomfire slammed Bastion with a meteor that knocked him flat on his ass. Jaden was being an idiot as usual and completely missed the whole thing—and for some odd reason Jesse was sucking his thumb in the corner of the room."

"Isn't he camera shy?"

"Understatement of the year."

"Report Lieutenant: How's Bastion's condition?"

"Well," Zoë pulled a sandwich out of the bag and placed it on a Styrofoam plate, "He wasn't breathing, but he just had the wind knocked out of him… I think he's recovering in the nurse's office for now." When she turned back Tyranno had already finished half of the bottle. She exchanged it for the sandwich and capped the bottle again, "I'm just upset you weren't there to see it."

Tyranno examined his meal, double checking for any signs of poison, but when he was sure his partner hadn't drugged it he took a bite. "Mm, dino-licious! How'd you know I like fish?"

"I didn't." He took another bite. "I just bought the sandwich with a strong flavor to cover up the cyanide I laced into it." He gagged. "Tyranno?"

"What?" He beat his chest, forcing down a bite that hadn't been chewed.

"Just kidding."


	3. Cutting It Close

hm... random characters galore... reveiw? This chapter is really just some insight into Zoe's relationship with Hassleberry.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3: Cutting It Close<strong>

The sunlight was peeping through the small crack in the tiny curtains, beams of heat dancing across dinosaur-themed sheets and a charcoal gray bed spread. The clock on the desk was silent, reading a time that was one minute before the next half-hour. Red bars made up the numbers, and suddenly they rearranged to form 7:30. A blaring horn went off, startling them into reality.

"Can I please break it?" One roommate mumbled, sticking her head under her pillow.

"No," The other grumbled back, but he considered her request for a moment. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes, fixing his black Jurassic Park boxers and matching T-shirt, and then stomped over to the clock and slammed the switch off.

The obnoxious noise stopped.

He yawned and flexed his stiff arms over his head, and then clawed at the crust that glued his eyes shut. It was only then that he realized what time it was. "ZOЁ GET UP!" She yelped and nearly fell out of her bed, "WE'RE LATE!"

"Late to what?" She exclaimed as he threw open the closet and searched through it, his attire being chucked over his shoulder and to the floor.

"The tournament is today! The stupid clock went off half an hour late!"

Zoë jumped up and rushed over to her dresser, whisking out her clothes, "Dammit Tyranno I told you to get a new one of those!"

"I don't exactly have time!"

Zoë ran out and down the hall to the girl's locker room, but Tyranno stayed and changed. He was just tying on his bandana and rushing out the door when Zoë bumped into him in the hall and without a word of exchange they dashed out to the main gate.

Crowler was sitting out at a table, figuring teams together on a sheet of paper by rolling a sixteen-sided die. He glanced up when Tyranno called out to him, and he didn't move when they collapsed to their knees with exhaustion. "What are you two doing?"

"We're really late," Tyranno exasperated between breaths, "Can we… still get in?"

Crowler sighed and glanced down at his watch, "Well…" He stared down at the sheet, "I just finished the matches already… One team didn't make it but if they had I would've pit you against them." He shook his head, "You came too late…"

Zoë groaned, "Come on, Professor! There has to be at least one team we can duel!"

"Forget it, Lieutenant," Tyranno slapped her back, "Our teamwork would've gotten us killed anyway."

She rolled her eyes, "You have a point there, actually."

Crowler sighed heavily, "I'm sorry but—" His expression twisted into a crooked grin, "Actually, I have a better idea. Tell you what… I'll find another duelist and we'll be your opponent."

The sudden exclamation "WHAT?" came out different for the duo—Zoë was overjoyed and Tyranno wanted to shoot himself on spot. Zoë shot up, "Really? Thanks so much!"

"It's not much of a good thing," Crowler remarked, "but so be it. I'll choose my opponent. Now you two run inside and hurry up—the matches are about to start. The announcer will call you two up when it's time to duel."

Zoë grabbed Tyranno's arm, "Let's go!" and she practically dragged him inside.

Crowler turned away from them so they didn't see his smirk.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Tyranno; Zoë!" Jaden waved to them, beckoning them over to where he and Jesse stood idly with Val and Syrus. They approached, dodging around the socializing duelists with relative ease. "What's up?"<p>

"Nothing much," Tyranno replied, "We just barely made it in."

"No thanks to you," Zoë mentioned.

"What?" He growled, "So the alarm clock not goin' off is my fault?"

"Yes! I told you multiple times to get a new one!" she counted on her fingers, "Eleven since we've become partners _three days ago_, this morning making twelve and right now making thirteen!" She threw her arms up in the air, "If it's a new one you need let's just go to the city when we have time! We had five hours to kill just yesterday!"

Tyranno snarled back, his pupils narrowing into reptile-like slits, "Then why didn't you remind me?"

"I did—twice!"

"When I was doing something!"

"Like what?"

Val knocked their heads together and they dropped to the floor, hissing about the bump forming on their brows. "You two are like a married couple, jeez! If I wanted this much drama in my life I would've just gotten a job on _Jersey Shore_!"

"But we all know your 'talent' would've put the whole television station out of business." Jaden quickly hid behind Jesse when Val shot him a threatening glare.

"I like that show…" Jesse muttered under his breath.

Tyranno was the first to stand, soothing the lump on his forehead, "We got stuck with Crowler as our opponent. He's gonna find some unlucky sap to be his tag team partner." Zoë leapt up and put him in a head-lock.

"Where'd Bruce go?" Val said to no in particular and glanced around for his obnoxiously noticeable afro in the crowd.

The lights dimmed but stayed aglow on the duel field. Jesse noticed the camera man recording from nearby and used Val as a shield from the lens. Zoë released Tyranno and pointed to Crowler standing beside Vice Chancellor Bonaparte.

Crowler held a microphone and tapped it, "Testing." His voice echoed from the speakers around the room, "Good. Now then… I've matched every team up with another. We had a slight… _problem_, with two teams. One dropped out so that left the other team without opponents. As such, I decided I would be their opponent and I would choose my partner. As a start, I wanted to get this over with. Zoë Sheppard, Tyranno Hassleberry—please come up. You are the first match against me and Mr. Bonaparte here."

Zoë slapped her hand over her face, "This is gonna suck." Tyranno nodded in agreement and they pushed their way up to the field, taking their positions on the left side. "Regret not getting that alarm clock now?"

"Hardly," He shot back, shuffling his deck. They traded, split, and then placed their decks into their duel disks. "Good luck."

"If there was anything bad we'd be screwed," She winked, "We're in this together. What happens to one goes for the other."

Crowler shuffled his deck, split his with a smirking Bonaparte, and then they set up after trading back.

"Life points 4,000," Crowler announced. "I call Heads for going first!" He glanced at Michelle standing off to the side of the field.

She flipped the coin, and called it, "TAILS!"

"Zoë and Tyranno go first!" Crowler remarked to them.

Tyranno forced a grin, "Alright, Zo, I'll go first." She said nothing as he drew five cards and then a sixth. "Ain't he a cutie? I special summon Gilasaurus in attack mode! Then, I'm gonna activate Jurassic World for a nice chance in terrain! I end my turn."

"My turn," Crowler drew a card and shuffled it into his hand, "I summon Ancient Gear Cannon in Defense Mode!" The canon materialized, "I also set one card and activate Nightmare Steelcage!" The cage formed around Tyranno and Zoë, rendering their attacks useless. "I end my turn."

Zoë drew, "Just don't go crying to mommy when I kick you into the dirt. I summon Double Coston in Attack Mode," The dual zombies spun in circles, "and I activate the spell card Field Barrier, preventing Jurassic World from being destroyed and keeping another Field Spell from being played!"

"Thanks," Tyranno commented, but she ignored him, set two cards, and ended her turn.

"I go," Bonaparte stated, and he drew a card, "From my hand I set a monster and a card, and I end my turn."

"They're planning something," Tyranno mentioned. Zoë stared at him incredulously. "My turn!" He drew, "I special summon Gilasaurus in defense and end my turn." Suddenly the cages around them dissolved and the spell card shattered from Crowler's side of the field.

It was the Professor's turn, "Now this is going to hurt! I sacrifice the two monsters on our field to summon my Ancient Gear Golem in attack mode!"

"Hass, activate my trap!" Zoë ordered.

He nodded, "I activate the trap card," The trap flipped face up to reveal what it really was, "Nightmare Wheel!"

"Wrong!" Crowler coerced and gestured to his face-down card, "I activate Dust Tornado to destroy your nightmare wheel!" The card shattered and Zoë sent it to her graveyard, "Now, Ancient Gear Golem attack Gilasaurus!" The monster crushed Gilasaurus beneath its fist. "Thanks to my monster's effect, the difference between Ancient Gear Golem's attack and Gilasaurus's defense will come out of your life points!"

Zoë and Hassleberry Life Points: 4000 - 1400

"I end my turn," Crowler finished.

Bastion watched curiously, but then Jaden—now standing beside the Ra—leaned towards him, "Hey, Bastion, what's going on with your deck?"

"What?" Bastion plucked his box from his belt, but there was nothing wrong with it, "What do you mean?"

"You don't see it, do you?" Jaden frowned, "That creepy aura your deck is emitting?" His attention was dragged onto the ceiling as Jesse pointed something out. "I have a feeling it has something to so with that monster up there. Jesse, what kind of card is that?"

"I have no idea." Jesse admitted from where he was beside his partner.

Bastion blinked, "What does it look like?"

Zoë drew and activated Swords of Revealing Light.

"A… dragon, I guess," Jaden said carefully. Bastion popped open his box and noticed the first card in front. He quickly closed it and placed it back on his belt. "Never mind, Bastion, it's gone."

"Oh," was all he could manage. He knew which monster it was, but they couldn't know. He couldn't risk telling them. "Well, I'd say Zoë and Hassleberry are in a bit of a pickle down there." He watched as Bonaparte drew a card and used Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Nightmare Steelcage. Ancient Gear Golem was ordered to destroy Double Coston, and Bonaparte summoned out his Toy Soldier. "The Vice Chancellor is playing with them—he waited to summon his Toy Solider. Ancient Gear Golem is Crowler's strongest monster, so it doesn't matter what he does."

Zoë and Tyranno Life Points: 1400 - 100

"I took that brute down!" Jaden scoffed.

"That's you Jaden," Chazz remarked, "You always pull something out of your ass at the last second."

"And that's why I'm awesome!"

"And that's why I'm going to slap you."

"They're going to need Lightning Vortex to get out of this one," Bruce remarked to Val, "Even then, Zoë only has one card in her hand. She needs that for Lightning Vortex's effect."

"They still have Hassleberry's face down," Val mentioned, but from what she could tell it wasn't a trap card that would save them.

Hassleberry let his fingers rest on the top of his deck, staring over at Zoë. He sighed and dropped his stance—stood and stared at the other side of the field—and then said, dryly, "These guys are tough. No matter what we do their next attack is goin' t' destroy us…"

"What about your face-down?" She asked indifferently.

He shook his head, "I was saving that for a powerful monster… Well, here goes nothing!" He drew, and his expression dropped. "It's better than nothing! Now, Black Stego report for duty! I'll tribute him to activate Big Evolution Pill!"

"Let's hope you get Ultimate Tyranno out," Zoë scolded.

Crowler drew, "Hm… since I can't attack I'll just set these two cards and end my turn."

Zoë sighed, "Alright—I draw." She gawked, "Yes!"

"I play Dust Tornado again," Crowler gestured to the swords striking the ground around Ancient Gear Golem and Toy Soldier, "to destroy your swords!" The lights shattered into particles that rained down on the field.

"It won't make a difference!" Zoë snapped, "I activate Lightning Vortex, by sending Despair from the Dark from my hand to the graveyard I can destroy your monsters!" Crowler fell silent as the monsters were obliterated by streaks of lightning. "Now I'm going to activate the face-down card, Call of the Haunted!" The trap flipped up, "Come on out—Despair from the Dark!"

"Be original," Bonaparte commented snidely, "He's the only strong monster you ever use. Zombies are weak—just shams! That's the strongest their kind has to offer!"

"Says the forty-year-old guy who still plays with toys," She hissed, the Zombie rising up, "and my spirit card's about to show you a piece of his mind!"

"I activate my trap, Threatening Roar!" Bonaparte snapped and the card flipped up. A sound wave struck Despair, forcing him back a step. "You can't conduct your battle phase now!"

"Fine! I'll end my turn."

Bonaparte laughed, "I draw." He examined his hand, "I'll set this monster, this card, and end my turn."

Hassleberry reached for his deck, "OK… Come on Big Evolution Pill!" His eyes corkscrewed shut, and he drew. "Heart of the cards… Come on, pal, don't fail me now…!" He dared to look. "I use Big Evolution Pills effect to summon out my Ultimate Tyranno!" The dinosaur materialized. "Think your life points are safe? Not for long! I activate Shield Crush!"

"How'd he get that card?" Syrus snapped and shuffled through his deck, realizing his spell was gone.

The face-down Toy Soldier shattered, leaving them wide open to attacks.

"Uh-oh," Bonaparte scratched his check.

"This is your fault," Crowler uttered bitterly.

"Should I?" Tyranno questioned inquiringly, staring at Zoë even though he already knew his answer.

"Take them out," Zoë confirmed.

Tyranno grew eccentric, "Yes! Take this—Ultimate Tyranno use Absolute Bite!" The Dinosaur reared up, let loose a mighty triumphant roar, and bit down on Bonaparte, dropping their life points to 1000. It lifted up, Bonaparte squirming in his teeth harmlessly. "Despair from the Dark use…" Tyranno fell silent. Zoë whispered something to him and he cried out, "What she said! Shadow Blitz!" Despair from the Dark surged with energy and lunged for Crowler, slashing at the teacher's chest with his claws. Dark gashes split open and blackness spilled out like blood, but the wounds faded as Crowler fell to his knees, gasping for breath.

Crowler and Bonaparte Life Points: 1000 - 0

"Yes! We did it!" Zoë jumped up and down with victory and called out to her Despair from the Dark stalking back towards them, "Way to go, Despair!" He smirked and dissolved as the field faded. Bonaparte fell from Ultimate Tyranno's jaws and landed with a loud _thud_ on Crowler's back.

"And you wanted me to get a new alarm clock!"

"If you don't put a sock in it I'm going to punch you and you're going to cry! I'm still making you get a new one… or fix your current piece of junk!"

Crowler stood, knocking Bonaparte to the floor, and brushed off his sleeve, "Fine, you win!" He stomped over to Michelle, grabbed the microphone and the sheet, and then read aloud, "Zoë and Tyranno advance to the next round! Next up we have Val and Bruce against Syrus and Blair."

"That's my go," Val remarked despondently after another quick glance around to find her partner.

Syrus stomped up to Tyranno, nostrils flaring, "You stole my card!" He snatched the spell from Tyranno's grip.

Tyranno laughed nervously, "Sorry, Truesdale, I kinda borrowed it for the duel…"

"Next time ask me first!" Syrus filed the card back into his deck, "I seriously thought I lost this!" His tone lightened suddenly, "That was a good duel at least." He received a nod of appreciation and strode up to Blair already waiting for him on the field.

A voice drifted from behind Tyranno. He turned to face his partner, "What was that?"

"I said I kicked-ass," She grinned, "No thanks to you."

"Oh, shove it," He scowled, "I told you our teamwork sucked."

"It does, doesn't it? That must mean only one thing…" A second of silence. "Crowler and Bonaparte suck worse than we do."


	4. Enter the Gambler!

**characters I own: Zoe, Aaron, Nabi, Val, Eric, Harpie, Michelle, Justin, and Tank. PLEASE REVIEW! It'll get the next chapter up faster :D**

**Chapter 4: Enter the Gambler!**

The day after the first rounds, with only half of the teams advancing (including the few draws), Michelle and Justin wasted no time searching for the few tag-teams that had come out with near perfect wins such as Nabi and Aster, and Bruce and Val.

The Camera crew pounced a Ra Yellow duelist strolling by the dorms. "Excuse us," Michelle started and the duelist paused, "Can we opt you up for a quick interview?"

"Sure."

"What's your name?"

"Bruce Willis."

"Any association to the actor?"

"Nope. You wouldn't believe how many times I've gotten that already."

"We watched you duel yesterday. That was a fine match—not a single life point lost! So tell us, Bruce, we heard rumors from some of the ladies around here that there's an actor name Nabi Kojima in this academy—he's from your house, and we also heard he had given up acting for the time being to pursue dueling. Is this true?"

Bruce laughed, "Of course! Nabi and I were roommates before the tournament. We hang out a lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's a great guy—at first I thought, 'How lucky am I to be roomies with an actor?' but Nabi's just like any normal person. He's gone out of his way to do favors for me and everything. Although, he's still having problems with certain… fan girls."

"So who's his current partner?"

"Aster Phoenix…"

Suddenly Nabi and Aster race by in the background. "HI BRUCE!" Nabi called and he and Aster ran off screen.

"Hi Nabi, hi Aster!" Bruce called back and waved. There was a stampede of fan girls who charged by and after four lingering seconds they had all passed.

Jesse appeared a moment later, "How do they run so fast?" and continued after, oblivious to the camera.

Bruce turned to Michelle, "See what I mean by problems?"

"Is that an everyday occurrence?"

"Just about."

Aster was jumped an hour later, "Excuse me, you're Aster Phoenix, right?"

"Yes."

"Can we ask you a few questions?"

"Certainly."

"We saw you and Nabi Kojima getting chased by fan girls before, from what Bruce Willis told us. We couldn't help but wonder… how do you manage to get out of a situation like that?"

"Well," Aster thought for a moment, "For some strange reason whenever Nabi is around Zoë—"

"Zoë who?"

"Zoë Sheppard."

"The Chancellor's niece?"

"Yeah. Anyway, whenever Nabi is around Zoë the fan girls turn around and run in the opposite direction. I can never figure out why—I mean, Zoë does give them threatening glares, but she's a really sweet girl when you get to know her." Aster's watch beeped and he glanced down at it, "Oh, I'm late."

"OK, we'll let you go. Thanks for answering our questions. Do you know where we can find this Zoë Sheppard?"

"No idea."

"Oh, OK, thank you then."

* * *

><p>"Bruce!" Zoë exclaimed and waved to her friend. Her adventures to find the blonde lead her to the power plant in the forest. He was with Alexis, Jaden, Syrus, and Chazz, and even a weird guy she had never met before.<p>

Bruce faced her, "Oh, hey Zoë. Could you hold on for a minute?"

The man adjusted his glasses, "Alexis, I want to have you back is all I'm saying. Forget the lucky scarf; I truly believe you're the source of my luck!"

Chazz got between him and Alexis, "Back off, Gambler! She doesn't want you anymore, so where you left off I'm going to pick up, but unlike you I'm going to treat her right!" Alexis sighed and shook her head. "That's it, we're settling this!"

"The Gambler: infamous dueling professional," Zoë said bluntly, "Only an idiot would want to duel you… which explains Chazz's logic." She received a glare, but she dismissed the demoted duelist in order to figure out why she had an ominous feeling creeping around in the back of her mind.

"A professional?" Bruce exclaimed, "Yeah! I challenge you to a duel!" Well, there went her ominous feeling. "Peter, I'm going to duel you for Alexis's personal space!"

"It's Pierre!" He flipped out his deck and loaded it into his duel disk, "but fine! I accept your challenge! You'll see I don't tolerate ignorant teenagers!" Alexis sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, slightly frustrated with Chazz's and Pierre's lack of an ability to control their hormones.

"You're gonna challenge the Gambler? Are you crazy?" Zoë grabbed Bruce by his shirt collar, "You're not challenging him, Bruce!"

He snorted and pushed her away, "Please, Zo, I can handle my own. This guy ain't so tough!"

"Isn't," She corrected, "and that's what you say now." She folded her arms back against her chest, "Don't come crying to me when you get your ass handed to you on a platter late next week."

"I won't cry to you," He shot back, "To Val, maybe, but definitely not to you! If I want to be left out in the cold I'll just move to Antarctica!"

"Are you saying I'm an unsympathetic person?"

"A majority of the time, yes." Bruce's duel disk activated, "Alright, let's do this Peter!"

"It's Pierre!" Pierre snapped, his duel disk lighting up, "You're gonna need Lady Luck on your side if you plan on defeating me!"

"Or Chuck Norris!" Jaden exclaimed.

They gave him awkward looks, but then Chazz quickly spoke up to end the strangeness of the moment. "I place everything I have on Bruce!"

Zoë and Alexis slapped their palms to their faces, but they were surprised when Syrus piped up, "Me, too!"

Jaden agreed so the girls just went with it, but Zoë quickly added, "I'm betting on Bruce, but if he looses I'm shaving his 'fro off while he's sleeping!" Sometimes she wondered if she should've just stayed home.

"Awesome!" Bruce activated his duel disk and drew five cards, "Who wants to start?"

"I will since you're being a pest!" The Gambler snapped and drew six cards, "I'll start with the spell card second coin toss, allowing me to toss a coin twice. Then I'll set this monster, two cards, and end my turn."

Bruce smirked, "My turn!" He drew, "Awesome! I'll start with Polymerization to fuse the two cards in my hand—Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts and Berfomet—to form Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast!" His signature card materialized on the field. "And now I'll attack your face-down! Go, Chimera, Razor Swipe!" The beast lunged, wings stretching wide, and his claws slammed down on, and obliterated, the monster as it flipped up.

Pierre grinned, "I activate my Dice Jar's effect! We both roll a die." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a cobalt blue, six-sided die. He tossed it onto the field. The die bounced to Bruce's feet, landing with three dots facing up. "I rolled a three. What will you roll?"

"What's that going to accomplish?" Bruce grumbled, picking up the die and chucking it back.

Pierre sneered when the object landed, "Five. The player who got the lower number looses life points equal to the winner's number times 500. I loose 2500 points."

Pierre Life Points: 4000 - 1500

"No matter—I activate my two Trap cards!" Both cards flipped up, "The first is one called Needle Wall. With this continuous I label your monster zones from one to five, right to left. When I roll a die, the monsters in the number of the zone that corresponds with the number on the die will be destroyed. Currently your Chimera is on three, so let's hope I don't roll one. Ha, get it?" He tossed the die again, but it landed on 2. "Hmph. Now it's time for my second trap: Blind Destruction! I roll another die—all monsters with levels equal to the number rolled are destroyed. If I roll a six, all monsters higher than six stars are destroyed!" He rolled again, but it landed on five.

Bruce frowned, "Well, thanks for wiping out half of your own life points! Makes my job easier! I'll set this card and end my turn."

Pierre drew, "I summon Sand Gambler in attack mode!" The monster materialized on the field. "I'm going to use his effect—I flip three coins, or one coin three times, and if I get all three heads your monsters are destroyed. If I get all three tails, my monsters are destroyed instead." He pulled a coin from his pocket and tossed two tails and one heads. "I use the effect of my spell Second Coin Toss!" This time he won two Heads and one tails. His lips pressed into a thin line. "I activate my spell card Dangerous Machine Type 6! Trap card effects: I'll roll the die twice now. First effect is blind destruction!" He rolled a six and Bruce cried out when Chimera was destroyed. "I don't need my other effect then. Sand Gambler, attack directly!"

The monster struck Bruce with a sucker punch to the gut, nearly knocking him back.

Bruce Life Points: 4000 - 3400

"I'll now use the effect of my Dangerous Machine Type 6! When I roll a die—" "WHAT'S WITH YOU AND ALL THESE FREAKING DIES AND COINS?" "—I can apply one of six effects depending on which number I roll." He tossed the dice, "Three. I draw one card, set it, and I end my turn."

Bruce drew, "OK, I activate my face-down card Back to Square One!" His spell flipped up, "I return your Sand Gambler to your hand!" He frowned, "I set this card and this monster, and I end my turn."

Pierre drew, "I summon Abare Ushoni in attack mode!" The bull-beast rose up and pawed the ground. "I activate its effect—I toss a coin and call it. If I call it right I inflict 1000 point of damage to you, but if I call it wrong I take the same damage." He flipped the coin, "I call heads!" and the silver trinket landed heads-up. "You take 1000!"

Bruce Life Points: 3400 à 2400

"I also activate my trap—The Paths of Destiny!" The trap flipped up, "We flip a coin. If you get tails you loose 2000 points, and if you toss heads you gain 2000. I will also flip."

Bruce snatched the coin out of the air as Pierre tossed it to him, but he tossed it and got tails.

Bruce Life Points: 2400 - 400

Pierre inhaled sharply and accepted the coin back, "It's down to this…" He flipped, the coin lifting high above his head, and then it landed tails-side up. "WHAT? I-I lost?"

Pierre Life Points: 1500 - 0

"I knew loosing that scarf was nothing but bad luck!"

Bruce breathed as the field faded, and he trudged over to Zoë, arms crossed, "Told ya I'd win! That was a great duel, Peter!"

"IT'S PIERRE!" Pierre snapped, "Just, forget it! I'm out of here! But be warned, I will return! And Alexis will be mine!" He turned and dashed off, disappearing into the forest.

Chazz laughed, "Yeah, and don't come back!"

Alexis sighed and covered her face, too embarrassed to even recognize them as friends anymore.

Zoë shook her head, "I have better things I can be doing. I'll see you later, Bruce." They exchanged a high-five and Zoë disappeared into the underbrush.

* * *

><p>Aaron Zimmer was snoozing pleasantly in the classroom, legs crossed on the desk top. His trench coat was hung over the back of his chair so his Ra Yellow jacket was visible. Zoë smirked at her unconscious friend and traversed the room, moving silently over to him. She waved her hand in front of his face, and after she was assured he wasn't going to wake up she reached into his coat and searched around.<p>

"Looking for a card, Zoë?"

"Yeah," She replied vehemently as he stirred and sat upright, rubbing at the crust in his eyes, "My friend wants a Black Veloci. Do you have one?"

Aaron's hair was light brown and gelled to spike like a porcupine, and his pale hazel eyes seemed to compliment his unusually weary gaze. He stood and stretched, the whole six-feet-two-inches that he was so far, and then he slid on his coat. His sister worked for Industrial Illusions, and she always came into possession of multiple cards. She gave him the doubles to supply to other duelists for a fair price or fair trade, and he was usually stocked. One the right side of his coat was the cards, and he had his entire left side shelved with energy drinks. "I have one left. For most people, a good price or trade… for you, free."

"Thanks, Aaron."

He reached in and pulled out the card, handing it to her carelessly, "I was waiting for Axel, but then I fell asleep at my desk. Did you see him?"

"Surprisingly, no." Zoë admired the Dinosaur, "I don't get what makes this card so desirable… but it does look quite adorable."

"Adorable by your definition is some kind of twisted, isn't it?"

"Yup." There was a sudden explosion from down the hall, and it was followed by the obnoxious screaming of Crowler and Axel. Zoë sighed, "Cue Axel and Crowler in three… two… one…"

"AXEL BRODIE! HOW IN ALL SEVERAL LEVELS OF HELL DID YOU MANAGE TO BLOW UP THE SECOND SCIENCE LAB? I HAVE HALF A BRAIN TO FLUNK YOU OUT OF THIS ACADEMY!"

"I DON'T EVEN ATTEND THIS ACADEMY!"

"THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT HOW HARD YOU FAIL!"

"VOLCANIC DOOMFIRE USE VOLCANIC CANON!" A second explosion.

Aaron flinched, "What's going on with them?"

"Axel had to make up a project for Fonda," Zoë furrowed her eyebrows in sudden realization of how much it cost just to fix the holes in the walls during the aftermath of every "project" he's had to make up so far, "What happened was that the grades of the invited students were set to go through my uncle and to the other academies. What Axel, Jim, Adrian, and Jesse do for grades is sent to the other principals of the other schools-" There was another explosion. "Axel needs to keep his grades up."

"At least that explains where he went."

Outside, two partners had avoided the conflict of Axel's tantrum and stared at the list received in the mail.

"Who's gonna be our opponent?" One Slifer Red asked his partner from Obelisk Blue, "Miss Harpie and Mr. Tank? Ah, not them!" Val and Nabi were chatting as they strolled down to the duel field but when they heard the names mentioned they stopped to talk to the boys.

"What's going on you two?" Nabi asked.

"CALM YOURSELF DOWN AXEL! LET'S GO ANCIENT GEAR GOLEM!" The ceiling vibrated from the distant explosion and obnoxious bellowing.

Red sighed, "Well, we were just sent our recent updates for the tournament—you know, who we're supposed to go against next round?—and we have to duel the new teachers."

Nabi frowned, "Oh yeah, they were the ones who practically killed the two Blues only a few days ago!"

Blue swallowed the lump in his throat, "Ah, there goes our shot at winning! I think we should just resign while we have the chance… It'll save us the embarrassment."

"TAKE THIS PROFESSOR CROWLER!" The floor shook from the next explosion.

Val folded her arms, "So… Our academic teachers are extremely strong and you guys are stuck dueling them? Well, best of luck with that." She glanced at Nabi, "We should meet them."

"Amaya Harpie and Chris Tank," Blue mentioned, "One sounds dangerous and the other sounds downright apocalyptic, but not in that particular order." They chuckled, but the Red sounded more nervous if anything. "Miss Harpie has had some jokes going around with her name."

"Like what?" Nabi mused.

"IF YOU KEEP THIS UP I'M GOING TO FLUNK YOU WORSE THAN JADEN! FINISH HIM ANCIENT GEAR GOLEM!" The wall down the hall was blasted out.

Red filled him in, "Amaya Harpie sounds like a question—Am-I-A-Harpy?"

"No you're not—I don't think anyway."

"Exactly."

"Oh."

Val scoffed, "Well, she doesn't sound like a terrible person. I'm gonna go find her and Mr. Tank. Nice talking to you random guys!" She turned on her heel and marched off. Porky barked and jogged after. Nabi shrugged and followed, wishing the duo the best of luck even though he knew they didn't have the slimmest of chances of winning.

He also wondered how long Crowler and Axel would be at each other's throats for.


	5. Am I a What?

_totally forgot to update this... my bad XD I don't own Yugioh or its characters, but I do own my OCs: Zoe, Val, Bruce (once or twice called Eric as nickname), Nabi (created by Dogman1227), Harpie, Tank, Porky... hm... don't think I'm missing anyone..._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5: Am I a What?<strong>

Amaya Harpie was sitting at her desk in her office, filing papers into a folder, when Val burst in by literally kicking open the door. "Miss Harpie I presume?"

"Yes?" Her hair was an unnoticeable shade lighter than black and just past her shoulders. She had a left eyebrow piercing, the silver tint distracting Val's attention from her dark eyes. Her Obelisk Blue Jacket covered a Rob Zombie sleeveless shirt, but it matched her jean shorts. "Can I help you with something?"

Nabi entered with Porky a moment later, but he quickly stood at attention. Val coughed, "Erm… I'm Valerie Mae, and this is my good friend Nabi Kojima… We're from Ra Yellow… and we just wanted to introduce ourselves."

Amaya Harpie blinked, "OK. Hello. I'm just organizing my office since I'm going to be here for a little while. You can call me Harpie if you wish—no need to be so formal—and would you mind helping me out?"

Val saluted, "Certainly!"

That was when they noticed a thin, muscular man sitting in the corner, hair curled short and sunglasses clashing against his stubble black beard. He had on a dark blue T-shirt to represent the Obelisk Blue, and his jeans were ripped on one knee. He was searching through his deck. "I'm Chris Tank. Call me Tank." He adjusted the shades on the bridge of his nose and said nothing more.

Val ignored his oddity and accepted some folders from Harpie, "Nabi and I were strolling down to the duel field when we overheard two guys talking about being your next opponents. From the way we watched you duel the first time around, I'd say you guys make for a challenging tag team."

"Just put the student files in alphabetical order," Harpie ordered and gave some to Nabi to sort through, "Well, Tank and I came late, so we just figured we'd pair up since we didn't want to cause problems by partnering with random students."

"I guess," Val said slowly and shuffled the papers together. They were seated now at Harpie's desk, Nabi rifling through the papers and organizing them correctly at only half the rate of Val who was used to moving through things quickly and efficiently.

* * *

><p>"Where were you?" Zoë asked when Val and Nabi finally arrived. Tyranno and Syrus were butting heads over Jaden again and Jaden just watched them duke it out with pointless insults. "I've finished a duel with both Axel <em>and<em> Syrus already—and you know how long it takes to get past Axel's defenses just to beat his ass into next year."

"Five minutes?" Nabi figured.

"Three," Zoë said matter-of-factly, "but close enough. So now answer my first question."

"We were helping the new teachers organize some files," Val replied and wiped a smudge off her left lens with her shirt, "I didn't expect to get caught for that long." She examined the glasses to make sure they were overall spotless and after deciding she wouldn't bother with marks anyway she replaced them on her face. "So what'd we miss?"

"Nothing much," Zoë glanced at Tyranno and Syrus leering each other down, sparks jumping from eye to eye. "At least I haven't been borderline bored out of my mind."

Tyranno noticed Zoë was staring at him and he grabbed Syrus into a head lock to give him an excuse to talk to her, "Are we gettin' our game on or what here?" Syrus complained about being suffocated in Tyranno's death grip so Hassleberry reluctantly released the boy.

Zoë's gaze scanned around the room, flicking from duelist to duelist. "No one seems to want to use the field for now so I guess we're good to bring down the house."

Jaden exclaimed, "I call first duel! Who am I gonna go against, huh?"

"How about me, mate?" They stared over at the left entrance as Jim Crocodile Cook made his grand entrance with Shirley strapped to his back as usual. "I've always been interested in duelin' ya."

"The British are coming!" Aaron shouted out from the stand where he had been sitting previously with a still-pissed-off-about-loosing Axel.

"I'm not British!" Jim snapped back, "I'm Australian!"

"In that case never mind!"

Val frowned, "I swear I don't him. I've never seen him before in my life."

"So on a better note," Jim jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, "I was just headin' out to excavate by the West River. Anyone wanna join me after the test duel?"

"Can't," Val responded bluntly, "I have to stud—what test duel?"

"The one in a few minutes," Jim replied matter-of-factly, "What, you guys didn't know about it?" Everyone was silent and he quirked an eyebrow, "Yeah. It's a pop quiz, really. Jaden versus Zoë."

Zoë sighed, "Crowler set this up, didn't he?"

"Yup."

Suddenly over the loud speaker Crowler's voice rang out, "Will all students please report to the duel field! We are about to commence with the duel of Jaden Yuki versus Zoë Sheppard! This will be a good one, because if either of them loose they will be expelled!"

"That's not fair!" Syrus exclaimed.

"I could understand why they would want to expel Jaden," Tyranno figured, earning an agitated glare from the Slifer, "but why the Lieutenant?"

"I have no clue," Nabi responded and looked at Zoë expectantly, waiting for her to say something. Voices of advancing duelists could be heard from down the halls. When she smirked, his eyebrow knitted together. "I don't get what's so funny, Zo."

"Oh, nothing," She glanced at Jaden who was fuming in the corner with Syrus, "I've just been waiting to duel this boy for a while now…" Zoë stared at him until the students lined the stands. Despair leaned over her shoulder, gripping her waist with his clawed, shadowed hand.

He faded when Crowler appeared, slapping her back. "Get started!"

She scoffed, "Whatever you say." Her feet lead her to the left side of the field, facing Jaden who seemed to be anticipating her arrival. "Let's have a good duel, OK, Jay?"

He sighed, "It's kinda hard to think about a good duel when either one of us could get expelled."

"Well," She winked, "Then I guess you'd better win."

Crowler stepped off to the side, microphone in hand, "Alright, here it is! The duel to see which of them gets expelled—Jaden versus Zoë!" He flipped a coin, and then announced, "Zoë, heads or tails?"

She shrugged, "Tails."

"And Tails it is! You get to go first!"

Zoë shuffled her deck, replaced it in her duel disk as it activated, and drew five cards. She added a sixth, "I'll Summon my Burning Skull Head in attack mode!" The flaming skull materialized on the field. "I also play out Swords of Revealing Light! I end my turn."

Jaden nodded and drew, "Alright, I have a nice hand! I'll use Polymerization to fuse—from my hand—Elemental Heroes Ocean and Woodsman to bring out—!" He pointed at her, "Elemental Hero Terra Firma!" This strange monster with 2500 attack materialized, arms folded back against its chest. "And since I can't attack I'll just set this card and end my turn!"

Zoë drew, "I'll summon another Burning Skull Head in attack mode. I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your face down!" The lightning streak obliterated his trap, Mirror Force. "And that'll end my turn."

"What's with all the weak monsters?" Jaden mused, "Come on, Zo, put some effort into it!" He drew, "I'll summon my Elemental Hero Lady Heat in attack mode! During each of my End Phases you'll take 200 points of damage for each E-Hero I control! And since I can't do anything else, I'll end my turn here—allowing you to take 400 points of damage!"

Zoë life points: 4000 - 3600

Zoë shrugged, "OK." She drew, "Well, if you want effort I'll give you effort. I sacrifice my Malice Ascendant and Burning Skull Head to summon Skull Flame!" Just like that the field went dark. Fire erupted from the Zombie as it materialized, arms crossed like it had been sleeping. "Like him?"

"Yeah!" Jaden agreed.

Zoë had to admit, Jaden had spunk. Nothing ever dimmed this kid's enthusiasm. "Well, alright. It seems I'm going Fire based today. Can't blame my deck for trying." She pointed at him, "Now, this is the fun part! Skull Flame, attack Terra Firma with Scorching Skull Smash!" Skull Flame's eyes snapped open. He—from what Zoë decided to call it—formed a fire-engulfed skull in his hand, much like the Burning Skull Head monster, and chucked it at Terra Firma, destroying it.

Jaden Life Points: 4000 - 3900

"So, I'll end my turn with that."

"Wow," Jaden uttered, drawing, "OK, we'll fight Fire with Fire! I activate my Field Spell Skyscraper!" The buildings lurched upwards from the floor, surrounding them in a surreal cityscape. "And then, using my second Polymerization, I'll fuse Lady Heat with Heat, in my hand, to summon Elemental Hero Inferno!" The massive hero materialized, "And now I'll use my own Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Swords and allow me to attack! Inferno gains 1000 attack thanks to Skyscraper—now destroy Skull Flame with Flaming Fist!"

The Hero charged and destroyed the opposing monster.

Zoë life points: 3600 - 2900

He winced when she only smirked. "I… uh, don't see what's so funny, but I'll end my turn!"

"Good," She admonished, drawing, "Since you destroyed my Skull Flame I get to do this—remove it from play… and summon this bad boy!" She slapped the card down on her disk, "Supersonic Skull Flame in attack mode!" The giant horse-like beast materialized underneath her, lifting her up on its caped back. "This is where it gets fun! I use Lightning Vortex to send another Burning Skull Head to the graveyard, and then I can use Skull Flames ability! Once per turn, I can inflict 400 points of damage to you for each Burning Skull Head in my graveyard!" She grinned, "Do it, Skull Flame." Its hands came together and it shot three Burning Skull Heads at Jaden—all three smashing into his chest.

Jaden life points: 3900 - 2700

Jaden flinched. "Now," Zoë pat Supersonic Skull Flame's back, "Attack with Searing Skull Crash!" Her Zombie roared and charged, slamming a flaming hoof down upon the Slifer.

Jaden life points: 2700 - 100

"I'll end my turn." Zoë remarked as the Zombie returned to its side of the field.

Jaden swallowed dryly. "Uhm… Wow. You had an even better hand than me!" He rested his fingers over the next card, exhaled, drew, and winced. "I'll set this card… and end my turn."

Zoë knew he had nothing to use against her now. There was nothing he could do. He had lost, but he had spirit and she knew she couldn't be the one to crush him. "Crowler!" She called to him, "I forfeit!"

"WHAT?" was the only reaction from everyone in the stands. Silence.

His jaw dropped, "W-Well, OK… Jaden is the winner by withdrawal!"

"Zoë!" Jaden snapped, "What are doing?" The field faded and he watched as she dropped to the ground, landing in Despair's hand before he disappeared so no one found her descent suspicious. "You could've just finished me!"

"You act like I wanted to," She sneered, turning and storming off the field.

Tyranno was the first to run out from the stands, but instead of congratulating Jaden like his other friends he bolted straight for Zoë. "Zo, what was that about?"

"It was nothing," She answered blatantly, her pace down the hall quickening. He matched her in sync. "Why are you following me?"

"You do realize you're gonna get expelled, right?"

"Pfft, no I'm not. I'm the chancellor's freaking blood-relative. I'm not going anywhere. Why do you think I didn't trample Jaden a second time?" She forced a smirk, "Heh, you're such a weirdo. Go talk to Jaden, not to me. I couldn't care less—I just saved his dreams, so he'd better thank me later."

Her partner sighed, "I hope you're right, you gave me quiet a scare!"

Her expression faded, Despair from the Dark rising up behind her. "I need to go find my uncle and solve this whole issue. You have fun doing whatever you military boys do, OK?"

"But…" He took her wrist as she turned away, "I just…"

"Don't worry," she reiterated, "I'll be fine. Always was, always am." And with that, she pried from his grip and left him abandoned to utter quiet.


	6. Transit

_I don't own Yugioh or its characters, but I do own my OCs: Zoe, Val, Bruce (once or twice called Eric as nickname), Nabi (created by Dogman1227), Harpie, Tank, Porky... hm... oh, Justin and Michelle. M'bad, totally forgot about them xD They don't really come in often..._

_Next chapter is going to longer than usual, but it'll be worth it._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6: Transit<strong>

"Before we begin I have graded all your tests but will not give them back until tomorrow," Crowler waved around the stacks of packets in the air like a flag, "Most of you passed, and one of you failed with a Jaden IQ of Zero." It took Jaden several moments to realize he had been insulted and he muttered a complaint.

Axel scoffed, "Who's the idiot who flunked that hard?"

Crowler shot back, "You, Idiot!"

Axel's head snapped back and Zoë could practically see his soul escape from his mouth. The class rolled with waves of mocking laughter and he collapsed under the desk.

"Silence! Anyway, today's class will be on quick-play spells," Crowler tapped his projector. There was a chorus of groans from around the room and his eyebrow quirked, "Oh, come now it's not _that_ bad! We're going to watch a short tutorial." He started up the machine and the introduction to the film flickered on the wall.

"Ever heard of a DVD?" Chazz questioned rhetorically.

Crowler rolled his eyes, "This projector works just fine so until it breaks we're getting neither a DVD player nor an actual TV." A large screen dropped down from the small attachment on the wall above the board, covering the white backdrop.

"Figures," Tyranno muttered.

Zoë sighed, "You would think with all the advancements in technology now-a-days projectors wouldn't even still be around."

"That's what I said," Bastion remarked from where he sat behind her.

She nearly jumped out of her seat, giving a startled cry and whirling around to face him, "B-Bastion! Where'd you come from?"

"I came from the land down under, Love."

"No, seriously, I didn't see you there!"

Bastion's gaze narrowed into daggers, "I've always sat behind you, Zoë," He folded his arms back against his chest and his lips pressed into a thin line as he was silent for several moments, "Come to think of it, I've been sitting behind you since you first moved up to Ra two years ago. You can't tell me you _just_ noticed I was here."

She scratched her cheek, "Well…" a nervous laugh, "I kinda did…"

"You're pulling my leg!"

"I guess it's because you're so quiet."

"OK, now you're just tearing off my limb!" He slammed his hands on the desk top and leaned over towards her, "So after all these classes you've never even acknowledged my voice?"

"Or your existence for that matter," She admitted furtively.

He sighed, "That figures." Zoë realized Bastion was leaning too far forward with his weight, and suddenly Crowler nailed him in the head with the white board eraser (Tyranno wasn't the only one… especially since Crowler had perfected his aim). Bastion cried out and toppled over to the floor behind her chair. She flinched as he landed with a sickening _thud_.

"PAY ATTENTION!" Crowler demanded, nostrils flaring.

The movie started and as if on cue the lights dimmed.

"I bet ten bucks on Atticus being the first one to fall asleep," Aaron remarked to the Blue sitting on Bruce's other side.

Atticus snorted, "As if! I always pay attention in class—Alexis and I are the straight A siblings! Even our names begin with the very letter!"

Bruce sighed. He wondered how he had gotten stuck sitting between them in the first place.

Tyranno cast a gaze over his shoulder to Zoë, but unlike all the other times she ignored him she actually smiled and waved. He returned the gesture.

It was good she hadn't gotten expelled.

* * *

><p><em>Wham! Wham! Wham! <em>Zoë's eyes threatened to burn out of her sockets. _Wham! Wham! Wham! _Aster yawned and nuzzled his face into the crook of his arm. _Wham! _Bastion groaned as he turned to the last page in his notebook and continued solving random equations. _Wham! Wham! _Val moved her piece on the board—she had gotten sucked into a game of checkers with the Slifer on her other side. _Wham! _Nabi was on the floor, foam leaking from the corner of his mouth and gathering into a puddle of drool. _Wham! Wham!_

Axel was the source of the whamming noise. He was beating the desk with his face, hoping the video would end soon.

On the opposite end of the room Atticus had fallen asleep, so Bruce and Aaron were using black and blue sharpie markers to turn his face into their own personal canvas.

Jaden was fast asleep, snoring with his face flat on the desk top and Jesse using his shoulder as a pillow. Chazz was nodding on and off, trying to keep awake, and Syrus was doodling a picture of Patroid into his notebook. Alexis was flipping through a designer's magazine, taking notes on what kind of dress she wanted for her future wedding.

Zoë noticed Tyranno was staring at the screen, eyes doing that freaky dinosaur thing they usually did… it was almost like he was in a trance.

Even Crowler had fallen asleep, snoring with his feet propped up on the deck top. The bell rang over the loud speaker suddenly and everyone who had fallen asleep (especially Jaden) nearly jumped out of their skins. Crowler yawned and paused the movie, "We'll pick this up after lunch!"

Everyone literally ran out of the room like their lives depended on it—except Tyranno. Jaden and Syrus had stayed behind, noticing his unusual behavior. Zoë left Nabi traumatized on the floor and approached them.

"Hey, Serge!" Jaden snapped his fingers in his friend's face, "Come on, Hass! Movie's over!"

"Freaky," Syrus uttered and waved his hand in front of Tyranno's eyes which didn't waver. "Time for lunch, Hassleberry!" Still no response.

"Amateurs," Zoë scolded, "You need to provoke him. Try… this." She reached for the deck box on his belt, hoping to unclip it, but he grabbed her wrist in a vice grip. They were silent. His eyes pierced her with a glare that shattered the emotional barriers she had spent years building up in her mind—and she was afraid. She pried her wrist free, "S-Sorry."

He blinked and his eyes were normal again—gentle, steady, "Hm?" His gaze wandered around the three of his friends, "Oh, is class over already? Seems I blacked out for a minute there, ha, ha!" He noticed Zoë was rubbing at her hand soothingly, her calculated stare glazed over with fear that was on the verge of tears. "Huh? Lieutenant, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," She muttered and strode off.

When Tyranno went to follow Jaden caught him at his elbow, "Don't, Hass." Tyranno turned to him, frowning. "She needs her space right now."

"Why? Did someone hurt her?"

Syrus scoffed, "Duh! You just scared the wits out of her with your freaky eye thing and now you're acting like you don't remember doing it? If looks could kill you would've murdered all of us on spot!"

Tyranno blinked, "I… won't be joining you guys for lunch." Silently he strode out, only stopping briefly to wonder why Nabi was on the floor.

* * *

><p>Tyranno wandered into his room, but he was fairly surprised to find Zoë shoving clothes into her bag. "Lieutenant?" She didn't acknowledge him. "So… I'm really sorry for what I did. I didn't mean to—"<p>

"Drop it," She hissed, "I'm spending the night with Nabi and Aster. You need time to yourself."

"I'm sorry!" He said with peevishness growing in his voice, "I don't remember actin' the way I did, but I didn't—"

"Once again drop it," She zipped up her bag, clipped it shut, and then adjusted the strap across her chest. She hesitated, the awkwardness finally crashing down around them. "Let's be honest: the first time you joined the academy, when we met by the river, I automatically thought you to be a freaky dino-obsessive freak—which is true—but I was never bothered by it. Your eyes were never scary or intimidating in the slightest… but now I don't know what's going on with you. I forgive you, and one night never hurt anyone. You just need some time to think."

She brushed by him and disappeared out the door.

He would've followed, tried to make amends, but he knew that would've made things worse.

What was changing about his eyes? He's always been doing that "freaky thing" and it's never done more than intimidate someone he didn't like. He may have startled some people with his unusual cellular structure, but… what changed about his _eyes?_

He stormed out the door and plowed into the men's bathroom, examining his eyes in the mirror.

"Hey!" Syrus exclaimed, startled, "Talk about a rude awakening! What's up with you?"

No response.

His eyes… They narrowed, softened, contracted, again. "Oh." Tyranno noticed they seemed unusually threatening, which was… weird. Now he just felt terrible about what he had done—unintentionally of course—his stomach churning and his heart dropping until the acid of his gut ate away at the throbbing organ.

Tyranno turned abruptly and kicked into the stall, puking up what little he had eaten earlier. "Hassleberry?" Syrus pat the Ra on his back, "Hey, you alright?"

"I'm… dammit, no! Just leave me alone… please."

He felt like a slight jerk after Syrus wordlessly backed away. Footsteps disappeared like a ghost out the door and into the hall, and he was abandoned to silence. Tyranno sat back and sighed, wondering what he could do to apologize so his heart would stop aching so badly.

The thought that Zoë really didn't forgive him… now that only hurt worse.

* * *

><p>"For Sparta!"<p>

"Aaron, you're an idiot," Bruce remarked as he and Aaron strode back to class. "Hey, am I the only who noticed Zoë wasn't at lunch today? I mean, we hang out a lot and we miss a few lunches here and there… but she never actually disappears without telling us why."

"She went off with Nabi for sure," Aaron sighed, "talk about feeling left out…"

They perked when Zoë appeared at the door to the classroom, chatting with the one-and-only Nabi himself. "Oh, hey boys!" she waved slightly as they joined the duo.

"You disappeared on us," Aaron whined, "Meanie!"

"Sorry I was… tied up with something else." She stared over at Hassleberry as he passed them to enter class, but he paused briefly to smile at Zoë. She glanced away stubbornly and his expression faded. Head dipped, he stormed into the room.

"What was that about?" Aaron asked quizzically.

"It's none of your concern," Zoë uttered and stormed into class.

"Sorry for caring," Aaron seethed and narrowed his gaze on Nabi. "What's her problem?" Nabi shook his head and followed his best friend's trail. "Dammit why is it so hard for people to just answer a simple question?"

Zoë noticed Hassleberry was slumped over on his desk, ignoring his friends laughing around him. She started to regret giving him her usual cold shoulder—she wondered if she should go over and talk to him, which wasn't her most favorable decision—but Axel grabbed her from behind. "Boo!"

"Hey," She muttered, just a common phrase that spilled from her tongue and slid through the slit of her lips.

Axel sensed she was upset, and he released her, "You alright?"

"I'm… I'll be fine." Her breathing was rapid and rigid, and he took her wrist.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No," She pried her hand away but he countered, grabbing her arms and twisting her around to face him. Her eyes swelled but she bit her lip, biting back tears. "Leave me alone, Axel…"

"Don't talk about it," Axel admonished, "but at least don't cry."

She shuddered, "O-OK…" and slid into her seat. Her eyes burned holes in her desktop until Crowler slammed his fist on the malfunctioning projector and it was smashed like paper.

He sighed and glanced at the chuckling students, "Uh… How about we call it an early day? Everyone has the rest of the day to themselves!" There was a chorus and cheers and a stampede of duelists bolted out the door. Zoë was the only one remaining, glued to her seat with Despair from the Dark looming over her shoulder. Crowler quirked an eyebrow and trekked up to her, carrying the destroyed machine with him, "What's with you, Doom and Gloom?"

"Shut it," She muttered, "I'm having a bad day."

"Aren't we all?" He retorted and dropped the obliterated projector on the desk. He sat in the seat beside her and flipped out his tool belt hidden in his large coat, "Wanna talk about it?"

She scoffed, "No." and watched with impassive fascination as he tried to fix the hunk of equipment before him. "…I'm just having problems with my partner." Crowler acknowledged her with a simple "Mm-Hm" to encourage her to continue and let her know he was listening. "He's not directly the problem but…"

"He either is or he isn't. It can't be both."

"Well, you know how he has that 'Dino-DNA' or whatever he claims it to be that makes him so freakishly inhuman…?"

"I've heard rumors."

"…Well, he's been having problems controlling it. He scared me half to death before, and I decided to let him spend the night by himself so I could cool off." Zoë had quarreled with Crowler to no end on regular occasions, but in some strange, sick, twisted, convenient mishap he was the only one she felt most open with… She would run to Crowler before she ran to Nabi, which was possibly because Crowler thought he had the answer to everything, and Zoë knew he would give her the most logical advice over Nabi who would simply say, "It's OK, I'm sure the storm will let up." Nabi, unlike Crowler, had his own answers to everything even if he wasn't entirely accurate—he would admit to not knowing something, but Crowler would make up some wild story just to avoid falling flat on his face.

And that's why Zoë always found herself confiding in the most unlikely person on D.A.I: He was never wrong, in an awkward sense that was so illogical it was self-mutilated.

"What do I do?"

Crowler glanced up at her, "Deal with it. Help him in any way that you can."

"Like what?"

He shook his head, "You ran away from him, thinking that TIME would heal the wound. If it doesn't, return to him and help him through it. He needs a friend, Zoë, and if he trusts you don't let him down." Hoping no one would notice, she hugged him briefly and ran out the door.

She would wait out the storm, and then return to Tyranno to make everything better.


	7. Panic Switch

**you know the drill. I own my OCs, not so much Nabi now that Dogman finally got an account; don't own Yugioh.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7: Panic Switch<strong>

The night was chilly, but it was restless in the Red Dorms. Jesse coughed until his gut threatened to come up, and the desk lamp was switched on. "Alright, sit up." From the room next door Syrus, Bastion, and Blair ducked their heads under their pillows. "Here, trash can." The echo through the paper-thin walls of Jesse vomiting received a groan from Blair.

In the room where the noise was originating, Jaden slapped Jesse's back as he puked what little was in his stomach into the garbage can conveniently protected by a disposable bag, "You still have a fever. I'm going to get you an ice pack—apparently whatever Hassleberry had you caught."

"Obviously," Jesse gagged on bile and spit it out. Jaden opened the window, and the fresh air made Jesse's head lighter.

Jaden shuffled over to the door, shoved on his shoes and slid on his jacket, "I'll be back in a minute." He braved out into the night, pulling his jacket tighter over his shoulders to defend against the chill. Even though the academy was built next an active volcano (he would never understand such logic) it was colder after sunset from the wind blowing up from the ocean. He stomped down to the cafeteria and searched through the freezer, grabbing out an ice pack and wrapping it up in a paper towel.

As he stormed back to the steps he noticed Tyranno was hesitant, staring into the underbrush where he stood at the foot of the forest. The trees rustled in the breeze that nestled into Jaden's skin as bothersome cold. "Hassleberry?" Jaden asked no one in particular, knowing his friend wouldn't hear his voice.

Tyranno was unmoving.

"Hassleberry!" Jaden called out to him, but then the Dino started off into the darkness of the trees. He frowned, "Weird. I should follow to make sure he's OK…" The gut-wrenching barfing noise from upstairs earned a sigh from Jaden, "Oh, I almost forgot."

He hiked back into the room. Jesse hurled once more and then settled down on his bed again, "Oh, it's about time. I was starting to wonder if you ran out on me." He coughed, "Not that I blame you."

Jaden laughed, "I wouldn't leave you, Jess!"

Jesse started to shiver, "It's cold. Close the door."

"The door is closed." Jaden covered his friend with the blanket, resting the ice pack over his forehead, "I need to do something… real quick, just a mere task—don't worry, I'll be back soon."

"It can't wait till the morning?" Jesse moaned, wafting Ruby away as she tried nuzzling his cheek.

"Not really," Jaden uttered, "I promise real quickly. If you need anything Syrus and the others are next door so just call out to them." He got up and shut the window now that the room was no longer so stuffy, and then he left. His head strayed to make sure Jesse at least looked like he was going to sleep, and when Ruby curled up at his side Jaden quietly shut the door.

He sprinted down the steps and out towards the woods where he had seen Hassleberry only a moment before, and quietly he stalked into the underbrush.

Winged Kuriboh appeared not to far up a path ahead, "_Boh!_" He chirped.

"Oh, Kuriboh!" Jaden exclaimed and stumbled over vines and roots just to get to the floating spirit, "You know where Hass went?"

"_Boh!_" Kuriboh squeaked and turned to the stretch of darkness ahead. Jaden frowned and braved the thick shadows, pushing aside fallen tree limbs with his legs and just barely avoiding a spider web as he dodged and pushed around low branches. Finally he emerged from the thicket, rubbing at an irritated scratch he had received on his cheek from a stick that had snapped in his face.

"Serge!" Jaden reiterated, remotely confused, "Are you OK?" Tyranno didn't answer. He stood in the center of the clearing, stillness overwhelming them. "Hassleberry?"

"I'm hunting."

"What?"

Tyranno faced him, eyes narrowed and glare dangerous. "I said I'm hunting." Jaden would have said something, usually he did to ease the tension, but his lips pressed into a thin line and his heart started to quicken. That stare was hollow, burrowing a mixture of emotions into Jaden's chest like a drill. A pair of leering green eyes studied him, void of everything but instinct and lust.

Lust for a good hunt.

Jaden tried again to make a comment, but he fell short and his mouth just opened and closed like a hooked fish.

Tyranno frowned, "What's with that look?" He hesitated, and suddenly he was in Jaden's face. He had moved like a raptor striking for the final kill, and Jaden's eyes corkscrewed shut—waiting for a sharp pain as Tyranno took a nice bite out of him or something just as strange to send him into a panic.

Nothing happened.

"What? You don't like my eyes? That's it, isn't it?" Jaden dared to look into Tyranno's still stern expression, "You've never complained before."

Jaden shuddered, like there was a three-ton iron block suspended over his head waiting to drop if he said anything. "I… uh… you're eyes are a bit more… could you just stop doing that?"

Tyranno blinked, "No. I told you I'm hunting—I need these eyes to see where I'm going in the dark." He started to pace, encircling Jaden in a tight ring that only made the boy's heart beat harder, "You're going to ask me what I'm hunting for, aren't you?" A nod. "I'm hunting for something I can sink my teeth into…" He leaned his head over Jaden's shoulder, "maybe I'll kill you for the fun of it. I can't decide though… should I…?"

Jaden's heart was threatening to burst out of his chest.

"Mmm… I know, I'll go for the gut," Tyranno jabbed Jaden's abdomen, earning a small cry from the Red, "Or maybe I'll go for the throat!" He gripped Jaden's neck, thumb pressing up against his pulse point, "Yes that sounds nice…"

"H-Hassle…berry…" Jaden muttered under his breath. "Please, you need to control yourself. It's me, it's Jaden; the Serge!"

Tyranno backed away suddenly, gripping at his head as his mind was tossed into a daze. He buckled over, hissing about the pain and the weight of the world on his shoulders. "J-Jaden… Run…! Please, get away from me…!"

"What?" Jaden wasn't hesitant to step back, though.

"**I SAID RUN!**" Tyranno roared and Jaden didn't waste any time. He turned on his heel and raced back into the darkness of the forest, barreling over logs and hurtling up the steps to the dorms until he found himself pounding on an all-too-familiar door.

"SYRUS! BASTION! BLAIR!"

Syrus was the first to open the door, "J, do you know what time it is?" but Jaden collapsed to the floor and kicked the door closed out of Syrus's grip before he curled into a ball and screamed into his arms to muffle the noise.

"Jaden!" Blair exclaimed and helped him sit up, "Jaden, what happened? Are you alright?"

"Is Jesse OK?" Syrus questioned, kneeling down on his friend's other side. Jaden nodded with a dumbfounded quickness, crying into Blair's shoulder. "Then what happened, J? Come on, you have to tell us!" He was suddenly gasping for breath. "What's happening to him?"

"He's having a panic attack," Bastion briskly grabbed his cell and tossed it to Syrus, "Call Fonda. Tell her to get over here ASANOW!" He kneeled down and took Jaden from Blair's grip, "OK, Jaden listen to me…"

"Hello, Miss Fontaine!"

"…just breathe. It's me, it's Bastion. You're safe with Blair and Syrus and me."

"It's Jaden! He came to us freaking out and now he's having some sort of a panic attack!"

"Just breathe…"

"Yes, now hurry!"

"Breathe… There we go… Just breathe… It's OK, I'm here. No one's going to hurt you, Jaden. It's just Bastion. No one's going to hurt you… Breathe…"

"She's on her way," Syrus placed the phone on the desk and sat down beside Blair, watching Jaden grip to Bastion like a child, "Jaden, come on! You have to tell us what happened!" Jaden was still fighting to catch an even breath, and after a moment Bastion pat his back.

"It's…" Jaden sobbed, heaving for another breath, "H-Hassleberry. He… He tried to kill me, Sy!" He started hyperventilating again and Bastion resorted to comforting him again, instructing him on how to breathe. Several seconds later a car screeched to a halt outside, and then it was followed by another moment of silence—foot steps—drawing closer—and then the door swung open.

Blair and Syrus backed off to give Fonda room, "What happened?"

"Hassleberry apparently threatened to kill him," Blair informed, "but I don't know why Hass would do something like that—and Jaden hasn't told us the full story."

Jaden was able to even out his breaths again and Bastion helped him sit up, but the traumatized teen clutched Bastion's arm, refusing to let go. "I… He was just…" Jaden sobbed into the yellow sleeve.

"Hush," Fonda soothed down the back of Jaden's hair. _Reminds me of a Kuriboh, _she thought. "Don't talk just yet. Catch your breath."

Jaden didn't ease his iron grip on Bastion's arm, "I…" His heavy breaths steadied, "I was getting Jesse… an ice pack and on my way back I saw Hassleberry standing near the forest… I left Jesse sleeping and went to go see what Hass was up to… and Kuriboh lead me to the clearing. Hass just wasn't himself… you know that freaky thing he can do with his eyes?"

"Yeah," Blair agreed with a shudder.

"He was doing that, holding it like it was natural for him. He told me he was hunting… and that he wanted to kill me for the fun of it. He wanted to go for my throat… and it wasn't right," Jaden sat up, pulling Bastion over, "but then he started bugging out, like he had a massive headache… and he told me to run and get away from him..." Jaden's voice trailed off.

"That doesn't sound like something Hassleberry would do at all," Syrus whined, "He would never threaten to kill us—especially not you, J."

Jaden wiped the tears from his cheek, "I know. That's why I'm scared. I don't know what's happening to him."

Fonda shook her head, "This sounds like a problem. I will have to consult with the head masters tomorrow."

"What about Hassleberry?" Blair asked peevishly.

"We can't go look for him," Bastion exasperated, "It's too dangerous if he's still acting the way he was when Jaden was with him."

"Why?" Blair cracked her knuckles into each hand, "It's three-on-one! We can take him!"

"Two on one," Syrus corrected, and by his tone Blair could tell he had opted out, "Sorry but I'm physically incapable of handling my own! Hassleberry's Dino DNA makes him a force to be reckoned with anyway. He'll bulldoze me over!"

"The same way everyone else can?" Blair remarked snidely.

"He's right," Bastion stated, "We're asking to be torn apart if we think we can take him. Naturally he's a strong guy but if he utilizes his 'Dino'," Bastion quoted with his fingers, straining against Jaden still clinging to him, "DNA he can practically tear a tree out of the ground and kill Superman with it. I'm exaggerating of course but clearly you get the point."

"It's not about getting the point!" Blair rolled up her sleeves to signify that she wasn't afraid, "No one hurts my J J-bear and gets away with it!"

Syrus slapped his hand over his face.

Fonda covered Jaden's cut with a band-aid, "I suggest you kids get to bed. I'm going now."

"Wait," Bastion went to stand but Jaden weighed him down, so he hoisted Jaden to his feet. To his dismay the boy's knees gave in and Bastion had to hold him up, "What about Hassleberry? There's a chance he might hurt someone if he keeps at this any longer."

"We can't do anything about it until the morning. Now get some sleep," Fonda coerced, shutting the door behind her.

Several moments of silence later Jesse stumbled in, clutching at his stomach like someone had just punched him, "What's goin' on?"

Jaden quickly pushed away from Bastion and wiped away the wetness on his cheeks, hoping not to alert Jesse of any danger, "N-nothing. Come on, let's get you back to bed." Jaden pushed Jesse along and out the door.

"J, are you crying?"

"Just go to bed Jess."

Blair groaned again to the sound of Jesse puking in the next room over.

* * *

><p>Tyranno sat up, yawning and stretching his arms over his head. He had gone to sleep early yet… "Why am I so tired?" He glanced down at his hands and flexed them, examining the small cuts he had received from his fingers to his elbow. He sniffed the infected cuts, "What the…? Thorn bushes?"<p>

He got up swiftly, changed (ignoring the stillness in the room now that Zoë wasn't there) and rushed out the door. "Maybe the Serge will know somethin'!" He marched up towards the dorms, but low and behold Zoë, Jaden and Syrus were just leaving Jaden's room.

They noticed him and instantly Tyranno knew there was something wrong. "Hey, Serge; Lieutenant; Truesdale! What's up?" Silence. "Uh… Listen, I woke up with these cuts on my body… from thorn bushes. I was wonderin'-"

"We were out in the forest last night," Jaden said quickly, "Jesse wasn't feeling well so I went to get him some ice, and then I saw you just… there. You were in a trance, so I followed you to see what you were doing… and when I stopped you…"

Tyranno frowned, "I don't remember that. I was in my room all night—I went to sleep early for Sam Hill's sake!"

"But you… When I confronted you… you…"

"I what?" Tyranno's expression fell, "What'd I do?"

"You threatened to kill me!" Jaden blurted.

Tyranno's jaw hung open, like he was trying to find the right words to say but he didn't know any that would do him good. "But… J-Jaden, I would… I would never threaten to hurt you! You know that…"

"I don't believe him," Syrus remarked.

"SHUT UP HALF-PINT!" Tyranno snapped—his teeth sharpened and pupils narrowed into slits again. Syrus yelped and coward behind Zoë, but then Tyranno realized he hadn't controlled his out burst and he stepped back against the wall. "I… I didn't mean…" His voice was raspy now, and slowly he slid down to the floor, "What's happenin'? I'm so scared…!" He brought his knees to his chest and held himself, staring down at his lap as tears welled his eyes, "I don't know what's happenin' to me… I'm scared, Serge. I'm really scared!"

Syrus knelt down beside him and pat his shoulder, surprising both of them by even going near the Dino, "Hey… it's alright Hassleberry! Maybe your DNA is just acting up on you and it's a temporary phase—like puberty."

"There's no coming back from puberty," Zoë quipped.

Tyranno didn't smile and held his fetal position, which Zoë was hoping he wouldn't do. He rocked back and forth slightly, "I… I just…"

"Alright, alright," Syrus smiled, "It's alright, Hass! We can get you help!"

"Nothin''s gonna help me," Tyranno forced himself to stand, "I just need to be alone right now!" He sprinted off before anyone could stop him—not that anyone made an attempt.

Zoë glanced at Jaden expectantly, but the Red continued to stare at the ground. He gripped his arm and said nothing for several moments. "What's wrong with him, Zoë?"

"Hell if I know," She replied vehemently. She watched him disappear before sighing, "I'll talk to him about it… You guys just do whatever boring boys do on the weekends. Duel, play football, something." She raced down the steps and traced the shadow of his trail, but once she reached the foot of the volcano she found him staring off into the thicket of the forest. "Hassleberry, wait!"

He studied her as she approached, out of breath with her hands on her knees, "Zoë, go away. I need to think."

"I'm not… whew… goin' anywhere!" She steadied herself, clearing her throat, "Hass, I was with Syrus and Jaden this morning because Fonda made a report of what happened last night… I… I'm supposed to take you to my uncle so we can sort this whole issue out, but let's just talk first, alright?"

He still seemed panicked, but he nodded.

"Good… First of all, I honestly don't know what to say that'll make you feel better. Secondly, you threatened to kill Jaden which is kinda weird, but clearly you have problems with your wild side. Third, you've been having nightmares. What does all this tell me?"

"What're you a shrink?" He quipped, starting off into the underbrush.

She figured she shouldn't follow, but that didn't concern her now. "It means to me that you're having emotional issues, which is why you can't control your mood swings—which are why you Dino is taking over. Get it?"

"Mm… makes enough sense," He avowed as they emerged into a small clearing. "Zoë, can I ask you something?"

His partner shrugged, "Go ahead."

Tyranno faced her, sighing, "Is that shadow I see followin' you 'round sometimes Despair from the Dark?" Zoë gave him her what-does-that-have-to-do-with-anything look. "I… just want to know, that's all."

She gave in, aware that he was trying to avoid the actual topic. "So you can see him? Most people can't see spirits…" Despair rose up behind her, stretching out from her shadow. He wrapped a clawed hand around her, gently, careful not to hurt her. But, unfortunately for Tyranno, he couldn't see the spirit clearly—it was just a vague, dark mass with glowing eyes.

"I can't see them either. Usually they're just blurs… Like now. I can't make out an actual shape."

Zoë reached back and touched her companion's shoulder, "Despair talks to me in my dreams. He's worried for you, Ty. I am, too." She opened her mouth to drone on but that was when they heard the bell ring in the distance, starting breakfast in the dorms. "Come on, Hass, before all the food's gone."

He shook his head, "I'm not hungry. Just leave me alone, Lieutenant. I'll catch up to you at the tag-team later, OK?"

She didn't stop him as he backed away, sinking into the underbrush. "OK… Just make sure you're there."

And then he was gone.

* * *

><p>Tyranno shielded himself from the blast as Black Stego was destroyed by a tail swipe from The Masked Beast. Across from him the Obelisk Blue girl called Rin gestured to her Ra Yellow partner's monster, "Scary Moth, attack directly!"<p>

The insect lunged for Tyranno and swiped at him.

Tyranno life points: 2000 - 200

Zoë sighed, "How do we _always_ end up in this situation?" The Obelisk Blue ended her turn. Zoë titled her head up to view the other team's life points. "3000. I think I can do this."

Tyranno stared at her expectantly, "I'm sorry, I tried my best. I think it's over for us."

She scoffed, "No it's not!" Then drew, "I activate my spell Lightning Vortex!"—It was weird how that card had a habit of showing up—"by sending my Skull Servant to my Graveyard I can destroy both of your monsters!" The lightning streaks destroyed the Fiend and Insect, "In case you didn't notice I've had this card face down the whole time. It's my trap—Bone Temple Block!" The card flipped face up, "What is does is that I can special summon a level four or lower monster from your graveyard to my side of the field, and vice versa. They're both destroyed at the end of the turn… at the cost of discarding my King of the Skull Servants, of course." She discarded her monster.

Rin snorted, "You only have four monsters in your graveyard, so I'll go with the one you just discarded. I'll special summon your King of the Skull Servants in defense position. With no Skull Servants in my graveyard he doesn't get his 1000 attack boost."

Zoë grinned, "Since you did that, I'm going to activate my quick-play spell Demise of the Land! When you special summon a monster to your side of the field I'm allowed to search through my deck for, and activate, a field spell card!" She shuffled through the cards swiftly, "I choose Zombie World!" She activated the spell.

Around them the room shuddered and changed—bare, gray trees twisted upwards against the blacked-out sky. On one side of them the floor melted into lava, and everything else became soggy, purple-hued ground. The grass near the graveyard in the background was dead as lifeless could be, protected by Zombie Master at its gates and Soul Absorbing Bone Tower who lifted up high. Spirits encircled the pillar. Skulls and bones littered the field, crunching beneath Tyranno's boot when he went to take a step. Thick, depressing fog crept around them like snakes. On a platform floating in the center of the lava sat Vampire Genesis, who hid himself within his wings. Zoma the Spirit and Dark Spirit of the Silent circled around one of the barren trees with the disembodied, disfigured faces. Goblin Zombie ducked into the mass of bones nearby; Rin screamed when a Bone Mouse scampered over her shoe.

"Like it?" Zoë questioned in Tyranno's direction.

He shuddered, "What is this place? It's creeping me out."

"Zombie World, the graveyard, the place where the Undead thrive," She shrugged, "I call it home sometimes, it's quite nice here." She paused, "Oh, yes, the duel. I think I'll summon your… Mystic Tomato in attack mode." The creepy vegetable monster materialized on the field. "Now, here's the effect of Zombie World—all monsters on the field and in the graveyard become Zombie Types. Your tomato here? Zombie-type. Monsters can't be tribute summoned unless they are Zombie Types. With that said… I sacrifice Mystic Tomato to summon Red Eyes Zombie Dragon!"

The massive, decaying Dragon took form in place of the tomato. It stretched its wings, exhaling a foul stench upon the field.

"See, my dragon here can be summoned with only one tribute if that tribute is a Zombie type. Thanks to Zombie World your Tomato became a good candidate…" Behind her Despair from the Dark rose up, grinning broadly. She winked back at him then stared forward again, "So, I'll destroy King of the Skull Servants!"

Red Eyes exhaled again, its decaying breath engulfing the opposing monster. It shattered.

"Now for the fun part. My Dragon's second effect allows me to special summon King of the Skull Servants to my side of the field," The Skull monster materialized beside Red Eyes, "and because I have all three Skull Servants in my graveyard, he gains three thousand attack! So, with all that out of the way, I'll attack you directly for game."

King of the Skull Servants summoned forth a skull in its grip, chucking it at Rin and nailing her in the chest.

Rin life points: 3000 - 0

The field faded along with the monsters and Despair from the Dark, leaving Rin and her partner utterly speechless. Tyranno practically tackled Zoë, lifting her up by her waist, "You're insane! That was amazing!" he twirled her around, earning a laugh before setting her down.

Crowler's voice echoed over the cheering crowd, "The winners are Zoë and Hassleberry!"

Zoë briskly hopped off the platform, ramming right into Nabi. "Oh, Nabi!"

"Zoë!" He exclaimed, "Jeez, I knew you could win by pulling things out of your ass but that was uncalled for!"

She snorted, "Yeah, thanks I think."

Hassleberry poked her side with his elbow, "I thought you would at least leave me to finish 'em off. You have a habit of stealin' the spot light."

"All the time," Nabi uttered, earning a gentle shove from his best friend.

"Not my fault he almost made us loose," She shot back.

Tyranno frowned, tucking his deck into his belt box, "I guess I need to edit my deck… I still don't have too many strategies. I'll head up to the shop, see if I can make my deck strong."

Zoë sensed something wrong with him, "Ty, I didn't mean—"

"I'll see you later," he uttered and strode off, running into Jaden (who was still a little scared of him but didn't want to show it) and friends just to instantly tell them he was in a rush to get somewhere.

_He said strong, not stronger… _In the darkest part of Zoë's mind she began to worry.


	8. What Comes Around Goes Around

**You know the drill. Reveiw and stuff, or just simply enjoy the emoness that is Tyranno Hassleberry. I wrote this because Harpie and Tank need more story time, and to show a more in-depth friendship between Crowler and Zoe.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8: What Goes Around, Comes Around<strong>

"Challenge duel?" Val frowned, "What kind of challenge duel?"

It was early in the morning and Val had gone to see Harpie in her office to pass the time until class started. Tank was already there and he was eating breakfast—a massive bowl of corn flakes.

Harpie shrugged, "The Chancellor sent out the memo only recently." She finished making the girl a cappuccino and handed Val the smoking beverage, "I'm not very sure what kind of challenge—it's going to involve multiple variations from what Tank told me—but I'm sure it'll be something like switching partners for a round or facing an instructor like Fonda."

Val sat down at the table beside Tank who had fallen asleep in his cereal. "Speaking of Tank, shouldn't we wake him up before he drowns?"

"Drowning in milk does sound like an embarrassing way to die," Harpie rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "Nah, I'm sure he'll be fine."

A shimmer in the corner of the room caught Val's attention, "Oh, what's that crystal ball over there for?" She pointed to the hidden object and Harpie's eyes followed.

"Oh, that old thing… I'm a psychic, or I was until I gave it up to be an instructor here." She paced over and lifted the heavy ball from the box, "Would you like to have a look into your future?"

Val scoffed, "I don't believe in that stuff."

"Really?" Harpie placed the ball on the table and kept it from rolling off to the floor, "Are you sure you don't want to try it?"

Val sighed, "Fine."

The older woman smiled, "Cool. Now, let's see what's in store for you…" She rubbed her hand on the ball, polishing the surface with her palm, "Here we go… I see…" Val leaned forward a bit. "…Oh, dear… I see darkness, Valerie, and despair… There is darkness and despair in your future. But you can change all that—your fate will be decided on this duel!" _Ding! _"Oh, my muffins are ready." Harpie got up and opened the oven, covered her hand with a mitten and pulled out the tray of chocolate chip muffins, "Let them cool off and you can have one." When she turned back she noticed Val's face was flushed. "Hm? What's wrong baby?"

Val swallowed dryly, "What kind of darkness and despair?"

Harpie laughed, "I was only teasing you! I'm not psychic—hell, I scored that crystal ball from a family member who dropped dead from a heart attack! I carry that around just to freak people out when I pretend to see into their futures. I don't believe in that whole gypsy bull myself!"

Val breathed, "That makes me feel better. So it's just a normal crystal ball?"

"Define normal," Harpie uttered.

Tank sat up with a start, flakes of soggy cereal clinging to his face, "Huh? Where am I?"

Val ignored him and got up, "I should get going, class is about to start."

"Wait, take my muffins with you!... Val? Come on, they're fresh! Don't go without at least trying one! VALERIE!"

* * *

><p>Tyranno sat quietly on the bench with his hands gripping his pants, threatening to tear the material apart at the seams. Zoë had finally brought him in for questioning, almost like an interrogation. He flinched when the door to the Chancellor's office was thrown open by Crowler, who stormed in with Sheppard and Fonda right behind.<p>

"It's not my fault he's been acting up!" Crowler snapped.

"I never said that!" Another voice shot back. Zoë jogged into the room and slammed the door closed, "All I'm saying is that Hassleberry would never intentionally do something like this! Lay off him a little!"

"Zoë, take a chill pill," Sheppard warned, "You have no say in this matter."

"Why not?" She barked, "I'm his partner and his friend! I have every right to put my foot down!" Tyranno cleared his throat and she glanced at him, then fell quiet.

Crowler scoffed, "Oh, so now you're friends? The last time I checked you two left off on a bad note, no?"

"But that was something else," She told herself quietly. "It was just the start of last year… Students had been loosing their duel disks and we were going crazy trying to replace them…" Her mind faded with her voice, trailing off into some kind of reminiscing from that very first week.

* * *

><p><em>"You're going to do me a favor," Chancellor Sheppard demanded, casting a smile. "There have been some rumors about duelists loosing their duel disks to some gang out by the West Bridge."<em>

_"And…?" _Zoë folded her arms behind her back, "What do you want me to do, get the disks back?"

"Precisely," Sheppard winked, "And try to restrain from beating the living daylights out of them just to do it, OK? I don't want another incident running down like with you and those Obelisk Blue boys."

"It's not my fault you won't expel them," She mentioned, and then turned on her heel. "I'll be back soon. Try not to miss me while I'm gone." She trekked out of the main building and over to the Main Gate, dodging around Nabi and Bruce (come to think of it, Bruce had also lost his duel disk to some group named "Troop Tyranno") so they wouldn't stop her on her conquest. She traversed the forest to the bridge, but that was when a group of Ra Yellows blocked her path on the bridge.

"Stop right there Miss!" One member, possibly the leader, ordered. He carried the duel disks he had stolen strapped to his back.

"Who are you goons?" She hissed.

"We're Troop Tyranno, and we're runnin' this 'ere bridge!" His arms were folded back against his chest, and he glared down at her superlatively, "This is our territory! Trespassers have no choice but to duel me—and if you loose, you have to fork over your duel disk!"

Zoë scoffed, "Oh, so you're the infamous Troop Tyranno? I was sent by Uncle Sheppard to get back everyone's duel disks."

"Let me guess," He tapped the side of his nose, "You're…" His finger dropped to the side and pointed in her direction, "Zoë, right? The Chancellor's niece? Glad I could finally meet ya! The name's Tyranno Hassleberry—Sergeant Tyranno Hassleberry!"

"I've had my fair share of asshole military men," Zoë seethed, "Who do you think you are? No one gave you the right to start running things your way!"

"You'd better watch your mouth!" One member snapped.

"Yeah," the second agreed, "You don't know who you're talking to!"

"Quiet," Hassleberry ordered. In turn they fell silent. "I gave myself the right," he retorted, "so what's it gonna be, Princess? Are ya gonna duel me or what?"

She scowled, "I don't solve my problems with duels Huckleberry."

"Oh, is that so?" He snapped his fingers and suddenly his several members advanced on her. Multiple swift blows took them down with ease, leaving to Zoë crack her knuckles in the aftermath of groans. He quirked an eyebrow, "You really are as strong as the rumors have let on."

"And you're really as stupid as the rumors have let on."

Tyranno shook his head, "Well, it's up to you—either we settle this the old fashioned way, or we settle this with a duel. It's up to you."

Zoë sighed, "Fine! Look, technically I'm not supposed to fight, so we'll do. Either way it won't matter 'cause I'm going to kick your ass into next week!" She activated her duel disk and they set up on either side of the river, "I'll go first!" She drew five cards, and then a sixth, "I summon Spirit Reaper in defense mode, and I activate Pyramid of Wonders!" They were encased in a bright pyramid of greenish-blue energy. "Every Zombie Type monster I control gains 200 attack points for each monster you control! I'll set this card and end my turn."

Tyranno smirked, "I draw… It's time for a change in terrain! I activate Jurassic World to give all my Dinosaurs a nice 300 point boost to their battle armor!" Around them the jungle sprouted up, a volcano rising up in the backdrop. "Next I'll special summon my Gilasaurus, but he won't be here long because I'm gonna sacrifice him to activate my Big Evolution Pill! For the next three turns I can normal summon my monsters without tributing! So, front and center—go, Frostosaurus!" The monster materialized and hissed. "Attack her Spirit Reaper!" The frozen creature stomped down on Zoë's zombie, but when nothing happened Tyranno frowned. "Why's your monster still on the field?"

"Spirit Reaper's effect," Zoë folded her arms and grinned with triumph, "He can't be destroyed by battle, so my life points are safe!"

"For now," Tyranno remarked, "I end my turn."

Zoë drew, "I'm going to use my spell card Lightning Vortex! By discarding my Vampire Lord from my hand to the graveyard I can destroy your Frostosaurus!" A streak of electricity zapped the dinosaur and destroyed it. "Now, I use my spell Book of Life to special summon my Vampire Lord from the graveyard and remove your Frostosaurus from play!" Tyranno's features remained just as smug and she wondered why he hadn't faltered. "Attack, Vampire Lord—use Night's Descent!"

The Vampire lunged and grabbed Tyranno from behind, sinking his fangs into the Ra's neck and earning a cry of white hot pain.

Tyranno Life Points: 4000 - 2000

"That ends my turn."

Tyranno drew, "Alright, it's my turn. Using Big Evolution Pill's effect I summon my Black Tyranno!" The dinosaur materialized and roared, startling Vampire Lord. His scales were pitch black like the night, layered like metal over his body. "I activate my spell card Earthquake to switch your monster into Defense mode!"

"What's the point? You're only protecting my life points."

Tyranno chuckled, "I'm not aiming for your monster, Zoë! My Black Tyranno's effect allows me to attack you directly if the only cards you control are your monsters in defense position!"

"Don't forget I have my face-down and my Pyramid of Wonders!"

"That's why I play Heavy Storm!" Suddenly a tornado whipped up and destroyed Zoë's trap Magic Cylinder, and the Pyramid around the field shattered into shards of harmless glass. "Now, attack her directly Black Tyranno!"

The dinosaur lowered, snarled; lunged for the kill—rocketing past Vampire Lord and Spirit Reaper and harmlessly biting down onto Zoë.

Zoë Life Points: 4000 - 1100

"I'll set this card and end my turn."

Zoë sighed and drew, "I'll banish my Vampire Lord to summon Vampire Genesis!" The enormous creature rose up as a shadow, and then took form. "Destroy his Black Tyranno! Use Midnight Rising!" Vampire Genesis leapt up and pinned the dinosaur to the ground, sinking his teeth through its scaly armor and destroying it.

Tyranno Life Points: 1800 - 1500

She felt safe with Vampire Genesis on the field. Unless he conjured up a stronger monster she was in the clear. "I'll end my turn."

"Good. Usin' the effect of my Big Evolution Pill I summon my Dark Driceratops!" He slapped the card down in attack position and the hulking monster materialized on the field, "Now, thanks to this soldier's effect when I attack a monster in defense position the difference comes out of your life points!"

Zoë sneered, "Then that means—"

"We've just won the war! Attack her Spirit Reaper, Dark Driceratops! Jurassic Jolt!" The shock waves emitted from the dinosaur's beak and slammed into the ground at Zoë's feet.

Zoë Life Points: 1100 - 0

"Dammit," She uttered and collapsed to her knees, digging her fist into the dirt. She glanced up at her opponent, but he was silent—staring with wide eyes.

"What in Sam Hill is that?" He retorted.

Zoë stared over her shoulder, but the shadow that was behind her dispersed into thin mist. "Despair…" She didn't respond to Tyranno and forced herself to stand. Vampire Genesis and Spirit Reaper faced her, so she smiled at them, "It's alright. We tried." _I just got my ass handed to me! Dammit… Who is he?_

Tyranno shook his head, "I'm just seein' things… So, now that you've lost you owe me somethin'?"

The field faded and she frowned, "Fine." She removed her deck and then slid off her duel disk, a specially made disk that was dark and light gray, and the light in the center was bright green. She tossed it to him, but he didn't seem too pleased to have won. "I'll get a new one. At least I know who you are."

He scoffed, "You know, you're the first person to take such a large chunk out of my life points in only one turn. Keep this." He offered her the disk, and she cautiously approached him, snatching it out of his grip. He tilted his head to one side as she reattached her disk, and the same shadow that he saw only a few moments ago rose up behind her.

He blinked and the figure was gone.

Zoë muttered something incoherent under her breath and turned sharply. "Speak up," Tyranno coerced and she glared at him.

"I said this is why I don't duel to solve my problems! There's always a chance I'm going to loose. Just you watch Dino Boy; someone's going to come along and shove you into the dirt!" She turned abruptly to the Troop still wriggling around on the ground in pain. "Like them… _Yes, I'll really enjoy that… I'm going to laugh when_ _that day comes!"_

_"Too bad that's never gonna happen," He shot back._

_He had never been anymore wrong._

* * *

><p>Zoë blinked, realizing through her flash back she had worked her way into the seat beside her partner while Crowler continued to dish out the Dino Duelist's punishments to the Chancellor.<p>

Slowly, her hand shifted over and her fingers entwined with Tyranno's. She reminisced about the first day she saw him in class, and had since been ignoring him. It wasn't until they were finally partnered up she began to appreciate him.

And apparently worry in ways she never thought she could.

The Chancellor sighed, "OK, OK… I see your point, but we're not discussing this any further with those two in the room." Realizing they were being addressed Zoë pulled her hand away. "Crowler, escort them outside."

Crowler led them out to the hall, "Hassleberry start walking. Zoë, I need to talk to you."

Tyranno glanced at her for consent but she merely said, "Just go. I'll catch up in a little bit." He nodded and strode off, leaving Zoë abandoned to Crowler. "What do you want, Crowler? Please, leave him alone he's just troubled-"

"I'm only doing what is best to keep the students safe," He interrupted briskly, "I cannot afford to have things getting anymore out of hand. You care about him and I understand that, but you have no position to say anything. You'll have to trust that we don't decide to expel him."

"That's a little too far, Crowler!" Zoë snapped, startling a few students passing by.

"I know," He avowed, "but once again you have no position to say anything."

"I'm his partner! And his friend!"

"Yes, but even Jaden isn't here. Doesn't that say something?" From his hiding spot around the corner Tyranno felt his heart sink into his stomach. "Even he knows he has no say. Zoë, you're a great girl and you're very mature, but you just aren't an adult." Crowler's hands landed on her shoulders, "Not yet."

Finally she stared at the floor in defeat, "OK."

The older man sighed, "How you've grown up, Zoë… When was the last time I saw you?"

"This morning," she dead-panned.

He smirked, "I meant before the academy. You were only five years old when your uncle applied for this job. Yes, I remember now." He reached into his front pocket and fished out his wallet, opening it up to hand it to her. He flipped through a few sleeves of pictures before finding the one he wanted. "See? We took this photo out front. The Chancellor insisted on saving a memory for you and trusted me to show you when the time was right." On either side of Zoë were her parents, then the Chancellor and Crowler on each end. "There's your mother." He pointed to the woman with her arm around the child's shoulders.

"She's beautiful," Zoë uttered breathlessly. "I've never seen a photo of her before. Dad said that he would die if anything reminded him of her, he loved her so much… I guess that's why he became kind of distant and sent me to live with Uncle Sheppard…"

"You look like her," Crowler remarked. "But you will always have your father's eyes."

Zoë scoffed, "Figures."

Crowler pondered for a moment, then slipped the picture out of his wallet, "Here, take it. I don't need it anymore."

Zoë's eyes brightened, "R-Really?" She carefully accepted the gift like it would burst into flames at any given moment. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"The picture… and always knowing how to make me feel better."

He shrugged, "Hey, I try."

She deemed it inappropriate to hug him so instead thanked him again, "Make sure you don't expel Hass, alright? He's a great guy, he doesn't deserve this." She received a nod of approval and took off down the hall. When she rounded the corner, eyes glued to the picture in her hand, she almost bumped into Tyranno still waiting for her. "Oh, hey."

He was sad, almost, as he started to talk, "I… ready to go?"

She offered out the picture, "I assume you overheard the whole conversation? Wanna see?"

Tyranno examined the snapshot, "Didn't know Crowler had a soft side. He's right, you do look like your mother… I knew my mom, but she died when I was eight."

"What happened?" Zoë asked, receiving back her photo.

Tyranno didn't respond for a moment. "I killed her." Zoë's heart tore in two. "It was an accident. If I wasn't being such an idiot she wouldn't have given up her life to save me."

She didn't even know how to comfort him. "Oh… I'm sorry, Hass."

"Wasn't your fault, it was mine."

"No… I mean, I don't know what to say… do you have any photographs of her?"

Tyranno frowned, "Yes… it's kind of painful sometimes." He noticed she was struggling to fight back tears, a waterfall built up from so much torment over the years. Thinking quickly he held her close, "It's alright to cry, Lieutenant. I'm not going to judge."

"Just don't tell anyone," she uttered, burying her face in his shoulder. "I won't hear the end of it."

She was quiet, emitting no more than a sob as her body quaked in his embrace. He felt his gut twist when the hot water leaked through the material of his vest, slick against his exposed skin. _She smells like lavender. _He told himself.

Finally she pulled away, wiping her puffy eyes with her sleeve, "Oh, Ty…" she checked her watch, "We're already late for Tank's class!"

Tyranno shook his head in disbelief, "There's no need to-"

"Let's go!"

"W-Wait! Slow down, Lieutenant!"

"Then don't be so slow!"

"LIEUTENANT!"


End file.
